During my time at the American Bar Association (“ABA”) annual meeting in Chicago this past week, I had the opportunity to attend a plenary session on lawyer well-being and the role of bar associations. The program covered topics such as the cultural shift in the profession and how do you define wellness and well-being. My first thought while I was sitting and listening to the program was “is this even a thing?”. On August 12, 2024, I will have ten (10) years of practicing law under my belt and one thing that has been consistent over the years is that my clients and their interests have outweighed my well-being. More specifically, my life, quite literally, revolves around my calendar. From my sleep schedule to my meal schedule, my gym schedule, and my time for family. 

(Sleep) When I first started practicing law, leaving the office at 10-11pm was a common occurrence. In addition, since I practice criminal law, I would always sleep with my phone on “ring” just in case I needed to do a jail visit. 

(Eating) Usually, my day starts with court at 8:30am. With the need to catch up on as much sleep as possible, I don’t get up in time enough to prepare or eat a proper breakfast. As a result, my first meal of the day usually comes around 12pm, if I’m lucky. I think this amounts to involuntary intermittent fasting which may be a good thing or cause me to overindulge on lunch since I’m usually starving.

(Gym) With court starting at 8:30 and my workday ending in the late evening, I barely have the time or urge to go to the gym. Prior to having my daughter, I would try to go to the gym around 6am, three times a week. However, when you have the task of getting a little one ready for day care in the morning that’s not always an option – which can result in an inconsistent gym schedule. Fortunately, since I have Associates that I can rely on at times, I try to make it to the gym in the morning when I can. The only downside is that it usually results in not making it to the office until 10-11am which could delay my day.

(Family Time) At one point and time, my law partner and I realized that we spent more time with each other than we did with our wives and children. Because we are tasked with operating a firm/business, less family time is an unfortunate reality. With the help of our support staff and Associate Attorneys, over the years the burden has begun to ease. 

Taken together, I would not trade this life for the world. Sure, it’s tough but it opens the door to so many opportunities and occasionally is rewarding both figuratively and literally. The 2024 ABA Annual Meeting was my final opportunity to participate in the Young Lawyers Division Assembly. During the Assembly, many past young lawyers spoke about life after the young lawyers division. I can personally attest to the opportunities as I was just provided recognition for Chairing the Lawyers Conference of the Judicial Division for the 2023-2024 bar year. 

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Coleman L. Potts serves as YLS Ex-Officio and is a Partner with Detroit Legal Group, PLLC.