Gentle Reader,
The holiday season is behind us, finally. My wife and I used to get out of town to escape the holiday hustle bustle. We didn’t manage that this year. Instead, I took my dog to a little town called Whoville, but that is a story for another day. In my defense, I got grinched first.
The Monday before Christmas and the start of Hanukah found me in not one but two different court rooms. One of the judges was hearing a civil docket as well as doing probation revocation hearings which no one thought was a gift. It was hard to feel sorry for myself when there was a very nice judge doing something I would hate to do at any time, let alone before a holiday. The folks in the orange jumpsuits didn’t look too happy either.
That Monday was December 23, also known as Festivus which is the holiday born on the “Seinfeld” TV show. It is a big deal to those of us who celebrate. My feat of strength was staying out of the spiked egg nog at work while others told me how I had disappointed them last year.
The week between Christmas day and New Year’s Day is pretty quiet around law firms. If you make contact with opposing counsel, they typically don’t want to do too much work. Or maybe that is just me. It is the perfect week for Slackers, and while Slacker week may not have greeting cards it is a real thing. Seven windfall days all stuck together make one marvelous week.
In my first year as a solo attorney, my paralegal scheduled several depositions for Slacker week. Why not, she said, the calendar was clear. She was factually correct but is now my former paralegal. Regardless of your religion, Slacker week is holy.
The new year is a perfect time for reflection. Some mark the time making resolutions which they probably won’t keep for long. I try to change things up throughout the year instead of waiting for the calendar end. Keeping things fresh is a secret to sanity for me. I recognize that my sanity is questionable, I do what I can to maintain it.
For lawyers, the end of the year is less of a finish line than a marker for another day on the treadmill. The counters for billables reset to zero which gives us a fear based incentive to get back to work.
I had a law partner whose motto was “this too shall pass” and he didn’t wait until the end of the year to say it. He was quicker to trot out his proverb after a good thing than a bad one, and that is why we nicknamed him Eeyore, Pooh’s dour companion. Celebrating the good times helps us through the bad ones.
Plaintiff’s lawyers ride the constant ebb and flow of our business. At this point in my career, I try not to worry about the next peak or valley. Time has taught me that both are inevitable, and worrying about either is an empty exercise. The end of the year doesn’t mean much except to the tax man, after all.
Still, it is healthy to pause to think about the things that did finish in the last year. Friends and family that have passed on. Cases that resolved. Obstacles that were conquered or conquered me. The challenges upcoming are visible and even if they are not yet clear, they soon will be.
I have no doubt that next year will bring its own joys and sorrows. While I wait for them, I will enjoy a tasty sandwich of Whoham while my loyal dog gnaws on the Whohambone.
©2025 With All Due Respect. Spencer Farris is the founding partner of The S.E. Farris Law Firm in St Louis, Missouri. He is not the Grinch, but The Grinch didn’t hate the holidays, he was just tired of people. Comments or criticisms about this column may be sent c/o this publication or directly to him via email at farris@farrislaw.net.