Matt Kaiser’s Sabbatical Featured in The National Law Journal
The National Law Journal recently profiled firm founder Matt Kaiser in a story about his recent sabbatical from the practice of law last summer.
KaiserDillon is a leader among top law firms for its sabbatical policy; it allows every attorney in the office – partners and nonpartners alike – to take a sabbatical every five years.
During Matt’s sabbatical, he hiked the backcountry of several National Parks in Washington state and Alaska with his children. The article notes a growing trend amongst young leaders in the legal profession who choose to take time away from their demanding careers to assert a productive work-life balance and seek different challenges in innovative ways.
Besides helping him bond with his kids in a rigorous outdoor environment far away from cell phones and email, Mr. Kaiser noted that his time away also helped establish the self-sufficiency and longevity of his firm. “[KaiserDillon] was getting to a size where it felt like it was possible … It occurred to me that if I stepped away—truly stepped away—we would have to figure out a way to put in systems so that people were really equipped to run the business when I wasn’t here.”
Now that he is back in the office, Mr. Kaiser is busy helping people and small companies with white collar criminal cases, and helping lawyers and their clients navigate legal ethics issues.
The attorneys interviewed in the article noted that their experiences made them appreciate their careers even more, in addition to broadening their perspectives and cementing their relationships with their families. Their choice of adventures illustrates how far lawyers must go to find challenge and excitement away from the courtroom: Mr. Kaiser described his harrowing experiences with grizzly bears in Alaska and practically getting washed out to sea with his young son.
