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Work/Life Balance

CA Firm Offers Lawyers Cushy Perks

Posted Nov 9, 2007 7:57 AM CST
By Debra Cassens Weiss

A California law firm is offering its 80 lawyers free breakfasts, on-site massages and manicures, health club memberships and errand runs.

Lawyer Stuart Liner came up with the idea after a conversation about work-life balance with a fellow partner last summer, the Recorder reports. Liner is founder of the Westwood firm Liner Yankelevitz Sunshine & Regenstreif.

The two lawyers had discussed how difficult it is to balance work, family, errands and pleasures. So Liner decided to make it easier.

He hired a concierge service with two full-times employees, paid $100,000 for the health memberships and arranged for the other perks. The program began on a trial basis in September. Now Liner has decided to make it permanent.

"We're looking at it as a way to retain lawyers and get the most out of them without cutting into their personal lives," he told the Recorder. "There's more productivity, people have better health, and they're in better spirits."

Comments

1.

anonymesq
Nov 16, 2007 7:26 AM CST

Now, if only they could find a way to create a virtual living room and dining room where people’s families could come visit them at the office, then associates would NEVER need to leave work!

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2.

Wendy Lascher
Nov 16, 2007 8:23 AM CST

Perks are wonderful, but unless your office IS your family or your hobby (I plead partially guilty), having another life is what work-life balance is all about.

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3.

George Lowrey
Nov 16, 2007 8:46 AM CST

It makes perfect sense to me. In economic terms productivity rises when there is a more efficient division of labor. As I understand it the program should allow lawyers to spend more time with family - a central key to happiness that cannot be “outsourced.”

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4.

SiliValley Lawyer
Nov 16, 2007 8:50 AM CST

Wendy, you are spot on!  Before law school, I worked at a software company.  The company provide breakfast and dinner (and sometimes lunch).  Productivity was higher because people were away from the office less often.  All these perqs are fine, but I’d rather spend more time with my family and friends than have a free egg mcmuffin in the morning.

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5.

Laura
Nov 16, 2007 8:53 AM CST

I think the idea is that the concierge service helps take care of the necessary errands, etc., so that when you’re not working you can focus your time on your family (or whatever) instead of having to use more of your precious “off work” time to tend to errands, etc.  I like the idea and would use it if my firm offered it.

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6.

R. Woodke
Nov 16, 2007 9:11 AM CST

Our firm has shortened the summer work week to normal office hours on Monday to Thursday and work from 8 to 1:00PM on Fridays.  We all get out for a long weekend and find that the impact on revenue was less than 1% but morale of attorneys and staff was MUCH improved.  Finding more time for leisure and family is what that is all about.

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7.

Tim Bracken
Nov 16, 2007 10:38 AM CST

Laura, forgive my cynicism, but I don’t think the firm is only doing this to improve its lawyers’ work-life balance.  Keeping the lawyers in the office (instead of out eating a meal or running an errand) means more billable hours, which translates to more money for the firm.

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8.

Anonolaw
Nov 16, 2007 10:41 AM CST

R. Woodke, what firm do you work for?

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9.

davidson@law-wi.us
Nov 16, 2007 10:44 AM CST

I like the idea of law firms recognizing that a “life” might just be important enough to respect.  After spending a year coming early, eating meals in my office, leaving late, I was fired from a Chicago based firm because taking a vacation with my family demonstrated “poor judgment.”  No kidding. 

I don’t regret the decision to take the vacation, and I don’t regret the termination from a law “sweat shop.”  It does amaze me, however, that this mentality remains as pervasive in this industry as it does. 

Kudos to Liner and co. for recogniziing that their lawyers’ “off-work” time is as valuable as those 6 minute increments.

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10.

I wanna
Nov 16, 2007 11:02 AM CST

Where do I sign?

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11.

R. Woodke
Nov 16, 2007 11:35 AM CST

I work at Skadden.

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12.

Harvey Burg
Nov 16, 2007 12:30 PM CST

I have always held the Liner Firm in high regard. They are good people. The idea of a Concierge service is wonderful.  I know.  I run one for my children !

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13.

Cunyon in Chicago
Nov 16, 2007 2:17 PM CST

Tim, no offense meant, but I will not forgive your cynicism.  As a member of the profession, why can’t you believe that the Liner firm really does care about its lawyers’ happiness? Getting 90% productivity out of a day of any length beats the 60% average obtained in a day distracted by worry, regret or distress about one’s non-work obligations or avocations.  Liner discovered that and brought it to fruition.  Don’t undermine progress like this by tarnishing the motives.  Others trash our motives enough already.

I, for one, feel much better about my professional self and my value when I know I’m being productive, even if it helps the firm’s bottom line.

If those in the profession don’t give ourselves some credit, why should those on the outside?

I heart lawyers.

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14.

Bjorn
Nov 16, 2007 4:20 PM CST

I’ll have to agree with Cunyon. Time and again people have found that a happier employee is a more productive employee. Places with these types of perks actually get much more work done in the same amount of time. Another way to look at it is they could actually get the same amount of work done in LESS time, making more time available for family.

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