My recent trip to Hong Kong, Vietnam, and Thailand was much more than a vacation. It was a celebration of my anniversary with my wife, filled with cultural exploration, delicious food, inspiring art, and cherished moments together. Yet, as a lawyer committed to my clients and law practice, I was able to experience something even more rewarding on this journey: the realization that the new world of work – thanks to smart phones, wifi, email, Zoom and cloud-based telephone communication -truly enables lawyers to remain fully connected and productive from anywhere in the world and help clients and colleagues (who should not be forced to wait for me to return) for that help. This conversely has a further benefit – it reduces the workload awaiting upon return to the office.
Each one of our destinations – from Tsim Sha Tsui (Hong Kong) to Hanoi/Hoi An/Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnam) to Phuket/Bangkok (Thailand) – brought new flavours, sights and sounds.
From the bustling Asian street night markets, to the serene landscapes of the orient to the vibrant cultures of the peoples, my wife and I immersed ourselves in each place, celebrating not just our time together but our ability to explore life beyond our familiar surroundings.
Despite being miles away from my office, I found that I could ‘be present’ both in my personal and professional life without sacrifice—an experience that surprised and enriched my trip.
Originally, my plan was to be minimally involved in my law practice during our journey. I alerted everyone by email one month in advance of my absence. I cleared my schedule. I delegated tasks. I set up Auto-Reply. I even front-loaded many projects by doing the work months in advance.
However, despite all that, I soon discovered that technology allowed me to provide meaningful support to my clients and colleagues in need without compromising the quality of our time away. In between the breathtaking views, gastronomic discoveries and cultural bonanza, I squeezed in work-related tasks like:
-Dozens of calls and emails that were critical, time-sensitive and permitted the work-flow to not be impeded
-I conducted a TMC by teleconference on a riverboat cruise in Halong Bay (Vietnam) tethering wifi off the server’s phone so I could get a line out
-I drafted and edited motion material, affidavits, confirmations and various documents for clients
-I heard an urgent motion in writing as the arbitrator and wrote the award
-I mentored my team through some fires
-I coached one of my lawyers for a trial she started
-I authored lots of articles (like this one) for publication
-I docketed about 30 hours over 3 weeks
The time in cabs to/from the airport, waiting hours for flights (that were regularly delayed) and in air travel (with wifi) became productive and made that normally wasted time pass quickly.
The work really didn’t get in the way. Through seamless connectivity, I was able to help clients from my phone or laptop. Even while immersed in world travel, my clients and team continued to feel supported, with the same high standard of service that I strive for in-person.
Beyond the client support, I was able to continue mentoring my team, empowering them to step up and independently handle client needs with confidence. I guided my team through important decisions and ensured they felt supported, enhancing their capabilities and fostering their professional growth—all from thousands of miles away.
Interestingly, I found that the combination of work and travel didn’t detract from my trip; instead, it offered a surprising level of satisfaction. Most of all, it was effortless and convenient.
This led me to think about creating a metric that lawyers can use to plan the level of disconnection or involvement they wish to experience on vacation as measured against revenue and decide how much lost revenue they are willing to accept while away.
With technology easily enabling remote work, lawyers can now combine work with leisure travel in what has become known as the “Workcation.” So I created the “Workation Formula” to measure the net financial benefits, or loss, of working while abroad.
But how do you calculate the financial impact of working while on vacation?
Enter the Workation Formula – a practical metric I created for assessing the true net cost of maintaining your law practice while enjoying time away.
The Workation Formula is quite simple. Its variables are:
Standard Time Dockets: The amount of time you typically docket in a regular work setting.
Vacation Time Dockets: The amount of time you are willing to docket while on vacation.
Cost of Vacation: The direct expenses of the trip, including travel, accommodations, and other related costs.
The Workation Formula
= Standard Time Dockets
– Vacation Time Dockets
– Cost of Vacation
= Cost/Benefit of working while travelling
This formula provides a net cost (or benefit) by calculating the difference in billable time and then subtracting the vacation’s expense.
The goal is to work minimally during your trip to meet the needs of clients and colleagues and so that any loss in docketed hours is offset by the enjoyment of the vacation.
Imagine a lawyer typically bills 30 hours a week at $750 per hour. During a three-week workcation, he manages to docket 10 hours each week or 30 hours in total. In this example, assume the vacation cost $30,000 in total.
Let’s apply the Workation Formula:
Cost/Profit of Vacation
= Standard Time Dockets (3 x 30 x $750)
– Vacation Time Dockets (3 x 10 x $750)
– Cost of Vacation ($30,000)
= $15,000
That is, in this example, this lawyer (eg. me) was away for 3 weeks in Asia, kept all his clients and colleagues satisfied and well-served, lessened the pile-up of work upon his return to work, depleted all non-enjoyable wasted travel time and cut his vacation cost in half.
Note: Depending on how you tinker with the variables, the vacation cost could technically be nil.
Every lawyer can assess if the personal and professional benefits of the workcation justify the economic and social cost and make whatever adjustments they wish. Some will accept no work whatsoever, while others will do a modest amount of work. If you decide on the latter, you will need to be blessed with an incredible spouse (thank you Samantha) who willingly agrees to these accommodations (like leaving the Vietnamese cooking class in Halong Bay for a TMC).
The Workation Formula empowers lawyers to take advantage of travel without sacrificing income or client service quality. Lawyers can enjoy travel with a clear understanding of the true net cost and make informed choices about if, when and where to work remotely. With the right planning and tools, workcations can become a sustainable way to combine professional responsibilities with personal enrichment.
After having invested 30 years in building my family law practice, I cannot afford to disappoint my clients and disappoint my wife. For me, the workation was the perfect balance. The little time I contributed to my law practice enhanced my peace of mind and balanced the cost of being away. By remaining connected, I not only helped my clients and colleagues, but also kept my practice running smoothly, experiencing a work-life harmony that I hadn’t anticipated. Reflecting on this journey, I am encouraged by the possibilities this new world of work brings to the legal profession. Technology now enables lawyers to maintain their practices from any location while enriching our lives outside of work. My trip reinforced the idea that a lawyer’s ability to serve clients need not be tied to a single physical location. As I return to the daily rhythm of my practice, I bring with me a new appreciation for the interconnected world we live in and the possibilities it holds for both work, life and pleasure.
This article was recently published in LAW360 Canada.
Steve Benmor, B.Sc., LL.B., LL.M. (Family Law), C.S., Cert.F.Med., C.Arb., FDRP PC, is the founder and principal lawyer of Benmor Family Law Group, a boutique matrimonial law firm in downtown Toronto. He is a Certified Specialist in Family Law, a Certified Specialist in Parenting Coordination and was admitted as a Fellow to the prestigious International Academy of Family Lawyers. Steve is regularly retained as a Divorce Mediator/Arbitrator and Parenting Coordinator. Steve uses his 30 years of in-depth knowledge of family law, court-room experience and expert problem-solving skills in Divorce Mediation/Arbitration to help spouses reach fair, fast and cooperative divorce settlements without the financial losses, emotional costs and lengthy delays from divorce court.
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