I’ve got to give some respect to Tulane 3L Matthew Toll to a certain extent to send this letter to some law firms where he’d like to work. I’m sure that some firms who wouldn’t mind having an associate like this:
I am utterly unconcerned with having any sort of personal life outside of the office. I would work 100 hours a week, 52 weeks a year if required. I do not feel that collecting fees for 3000 hours of work (not merely “billing” but “collecting”) my first year would be unrealistic… I will work nights, weekends, holidays, vacations, whatever. if my mother’s funeral was the day of a key deposition, I would do the eulogy via teleconference after the deposition. If my wedding was on the date of a key trial, the wedding would be postponed. If the wife to be did not like it, I would inform her that wok comes before EVERYTHING ELSE and that if she does not like this, she is free to find a competing husband. Please understand that if I do not see the light of day (arrive at work before the sun comes out, go home after it is pitch dar) for the next 30 years, if I have to eat all meals in the office or even sleep in the office, I would accept that opportunity eagerly, with open arms and with a big smile on my face.
I tend to think that balance in life is important. Can one be a good lawyer (or good anything) without taking time away to reflect and recharge? How can you relate to other people if all you do is work and occasionally sleep?
Toll goes on to unnecessarily patronize his audience by explaining the nature of volunteering, using italics:
I spent the summer after my first year of law school volunteering (i.e. without pay) for an organization known as the Lousiana Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts.”
