John Devaney and Julia Markley were quoted in The American Lawyer* article, "For Stressed-Out Lawyers, Sabbaticals Offer a Chance to Breathe," regarding the benefits of taking a sabbatical.

The firm has offered sabbaticals to partners, senior lawyers and staff for many decades, John says. In addition to benefiting lawyers and staff, John says it gives those who are covering for colleagues on leave time to develop new relationships and skill sets.

John took a sabbatical in 1999, when his kids were young. “It allowed for five weeks of unforgettable travel,” he says. He plans to take a two-month sabbatical when he steps down at the end of June after five years as managing partner. “We are going to the beach in South Carolina. I’m going to catch up on all of those books I haven’t read,” he says.

Julia says a sabbatical has been in the back of her mind since she heard about it as a summer associate. She took three months beginning last November, and came back rejuvenated. “I decided to travel for six weeks and I was a stay-at-home mom for six weeks of my sabbatical. I got to walk them to school every day and sit in a coffee shop and read three newspapers a day, and do decluttering and home projects, and cook dinner from scratch,” she says.

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