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It is impossible to do this job and be fully present for one's partner and children.
19 day trial, set to commence today. The other side serves an adjournment application on Sunday night at 8pm, seeking an adjournment based on something they knew in November 2020. (1/x)
19 day trial, set to commence today. The other side serves an adjournment application on Sunday night at 8pm, seeking an adjournment based on something they knew in November 2020. (1/x)
During the evening of Valentine's Day, my partner watches Netflix alone while I frantically try to work up a response.
On Family Day, I leave my children and am in the office until midnight, working on the application that was served with zero business days' notice. (2/x)
On Family Day, I leave my children and am in the office until midnight, working on the application that was served with zero business days' notice. (2/x)
I have no idea why the other side chose to serve their application on the Sunday evening before trial. I do know that the issues raised did not come up on Sunday.
How do expect litigators to have families when we treat their family lives with such fundamental disrespect? (3/x)
How do expect litigators to have families when we treat their family lives with such fundamental disrespect? (3/x)
What would a court do with this? Would a court sanction a party for ruining opposing counsel's weekend with his/her family without any real basis for doing so? If not, why not?
We can't rely on norms. Norms don't work. Norms don't allow us to protect time with our kids. (4/x)
We can't rely on norms. Norms don't work. Norms don't allow us to protect time with our kids. (4/x)
The kicker, of course, is that there was no judge available this morning, so the trial was adjourned in any event, and the weekend work was useless.
This isn't just whining (though admittedly it is cathartic to write it out). It's a conversation that never happens. (5/x)
This isn't just whining (though admittedly it is cathartic to write it out). It's a conversation that never happens. (5/x)
We talk about mental health and boundaries, but we never talk about the time we callously steal from one another, or allow our clients to callously steal from opposing counsel. There are no mechanisms to prevent this from happening, so it keeps happening.
I'm fed up. (6/6)
I'm fed up. (6/6)
