Are you an attorney who thinks your day is especially difficult? If you don’t have children, you may want to think again.
Being a high-powered lawyer at an elite firm can be quite complicated, and when you add children to the mix, it can become an acutely distressing experience. Now, imagine being a partner at a firm that’s been likened to the Wachtell of the West, and add in a wife who works as a federal prosecutor. How on earth can you manage your days, much less your home life?
Martin Estrada, a litigation partner in the Los Angeles office of Munger Tolles & Olson, has gotten all of this down to an art. His wife, Kerry O’Neill, is an an assistant U.S. attorney, and his two children, David and Gabriel, have an albino gecko. He describes his workday juggle in a recent article published on Law.com. Here’s a little excerpt from Estrada’s day, which starts at about 5:45 a.m., every day:
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Early Rise and Paddle Boarding I get up around 5:45 or 6. It’s usually spontaneous, but we have back-up alarm if we don’t wake up. The first thing almost always we’re on the phone checking emails that came in in the morning. I have clients in Asia and also the East Coast. I’ll shoot off a response to the emails that can be responded to quickly. Sometimes I get up earlier, like at 5. I usually run four to five miles. I sometimes swim or do stand-up paddle board. My wife and I trade off. Sometimes she’ll go to the gym or go for a walk. The kids will wake up between 6 and 6:30. …
Quick Bite and Out the Door We get them downstairs for breakfast by 7 at the very latest because we have to be out the door at 7:20. I grew up eating cereal every day of my life, so I give them cereal, nothing fancy. I kind of regret that I never got in to coffee because my family’s from Guatemala. Coffee’s a big deal there. But my dad was never in to coffee. I just don’t like the taste. My wife is always giving the full effort. Sometimes she’ll cook them eggs or something a little different. Generally my wife takes them to school. I take them maybe one day a week. The person taking the kids to school will spend more time in the morning getting ready. If I’m taking the kids to school, I’m leaving school around 8:10, 8:15, and I get to work by 9. …
Pickup Time If my wife gets the kids, and she generally is able to, I’ll leave the office between 7 and 8 to try and get home before the kids go to bed. That’s always my objective. Sometimes my wife has a board meeting or has to work late, then I’ll get the kids and that will be around 4:30 or 5. They’ll want to do something fun. We live in a cul-de-sac, so a lot of time they’ll go play some basketball or soccer or something like that. I’ll get them to unwind, get their dinner ready. I’ll set up the laptop and do some work while they’re eating, and then I’ll put them to bed.
Down for the Count The kids go to bed a lot of times at 8:30. After they have dinner, they’ll do homework or watch TV. My youngest is now into chess, so I’ll play with him. Then we have to get them to shower and brush their teeth, and that’s always like the hardest task. We like to let them read a little bit to sort of quiet the mind.
Sweet Work Usually there’s a little bit more work to do. A laptop is really essential for me and for my wife. I take mine home every day. She takes hers home every day, in order to be able to have some flexibility for the kids. Sometimes I’ll leave early for my son’s soccer or year-round baseball. To do that, I’ll need to do more work once they go to bed. My wife does the same thing. If my wife picks up the kids, she’ll need to go back on the computer to review some briefs or something like that. I’ll do that as well.
Men who work in Biglaw are often picked on because they don’t have time to spend with their children, but from the looks of it, Estrada makes the time to do so each and every day. Because getting home before his kids are asleep is always an “overriding objective” for Estrada, it’s all about teamwork in his household.
If you’re feeling overwhelmed with your work at your firm, perhaps take a cue from Martin Estrada on how to get your act together and keep it that way. Because he’s so efficient, he’s not just a super lawyer, he’s also a super dad. Congratulations!
With Some Very Busy Thumbs, Munger Tolles’ Martin Estrada Manages His Day [Law.com]
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Staci Zaretsky has been an editor at Above the Law since 2011. She’d love to hear from you, so please feel free to email her with any tips, questions, comments, or critiques. You can follow her on Twitter or connect with her on LinkedIn.