The High-Tech Life After Brobeck
By Karen Opp

Working in a large New York City law firm has a lifestyle and culture all its own. Having recently transitioned from practicing law at the Manhattan office of the San Francisco-based firm of Brobeck, Phleger & Harrison to forming the boutique firm, Thomas & Opp, pa in Minneapolis, I readily acknowledge that my life and my working environment have certainly changed. Yet, then again, some aspects of my practice remain quite similar.

When You Work

An average day at any New York law firm begins at 9:30 a.m.. That probably seems like a late start to most Midwesterners, but that was standard in New York. Everyone complained if there was a meeting scheduled any earlier than 9:30 a.m. and most people would be late. Rarely did I know what time I was going to leave the office on a given day until I actually left ("escaped" might be the more appropriate term). Forget about making plans during the week; you never knew if you were going to eat dinner at the office or even get home before midnight. On an average day (if there really was such a thing) I'd leave the office somewhere between 7:00 and 9:00 p.m.. But it was also not unusual, especially during the Internet boom, to work until midnight or later at least twice a week. Some nights I made it home for only two or three hours: home to sleep for an hour or two; shower and change clothes; and then back to work again, ready for another long day. In the middle of a deal or trial, there was no time to do anything else. Literally. You didn't eat lunch; you didn't have a coffee break; you didn't run errands; you didn't go to the gym; you didn't call friends; you didn't read the newspaper; you didn't even stop to talk to colleagues in the hallway. All you did was work.

The work lifestyle and hours in my small boutique firm in Minneapolis are much more sane. I arrive at the office well before 9:30 a.m. and I try to make it home for dinner most nights. I continue to work hard, but practicing law has, thankfully, become somewhat less manic than during the ipo-crazed days of the late '90s and early 2000-01. At times I still work late, but such times are now the exception rather than the rule. I am now more in control of the hours that I work. As someone once told me: "That's the 'luxury' of owning your own business -- you are able to work 'half days' -- you simply choose which 12 hours you work!"

Where You Work

My office at Brobeck was on the 47th floor in midtown Manhattan with a view of the Empire State Building, the Hudson River, and formerly the Twin Towers. I had three Japanese restaurants, four Chinese restaurants, two Indian restaurants, two Cuban restaurants, an Afghan restaurant, a Tex-Mex restaurant, three Italian restaurants, probably six different sandwich places -- not to mention the bagel vendors (in the morning), hot dog vendors, and fruit stands -- all within a block of my office building. Suffice it to say, when you could get out of the office for lunch, there was never a lack of variety. Even on the 47th floor you could often hear street noise. The streets and sidewalks were always crowded with taxicabs, delivery trucks, bicycle delivery people, hurried New Yorkers, and tourists. If you wanted to do some shopping during your lunch break, within a few blocks you could buy most things right on the street. Purses, watches, sunglasses and art were in plentiful supply.

The view and atmosphere are quite different in my new first-floor office. I have a view of the tree-filled common area of the office park and, if I paid attention, I could easily count the number of people passing by my window on a given day. Open spaces and green grass have replaced towers of stone and glass and rarely do I hear a car horn.

Support Staff or Not

Most New York City law firms provide around-the-clock support staff. At my office there were regularly scheduled word processors from 8:00 a.m. until 2:00 a.m. Other support services included an accounting department, records department, it support, in-house marketing department, and "go-fers." On request, I could have most of my meals ordered for me so that I did not even have to leave my desk to eat. Ordering-in was actually so commonplace in New York City that a former attorney realized there was a great deal of money to be made in this area and started his own online catering business; attorneys and secretaries all around the city would order lunch and dinner through his website.

Here in Minneapolis our firm has resources sufficient to meet our needs and the needs of our clients, but very different from those in New York. We don't need around-the-clock word processors, or ten record keepers, or even a secretary for each of us. We are lean and that serves us and our clients very well.

Staying in Balance

Life outside of work is very different now than it was when I was living in Manhattan. Working for Brobeck dominated my life in New York and permitted only occasional free time; it was a rare evening that I didn't dine at the firm. With the kind of hours required at a large New York City law firm, my husband -- also an attorney at a large firm -- and I learned very quickly that you very rarely made plans that couldn't be broken at the last minute. If I made plans with a friend to meet for dinner, I always had to provide the caveat that I may have to cancel at the last minute because of work. It soon became apparent that the few friends who would tolerate this kind of behavior were either very understanding or other lawyers.

The energy level of the City was intoxicating. Even if you left work at 10:00 p.m. and felt beat down as you were walking out the door, the moment you stepped out onto the street, you were reenergized. There were always people on the street and always something to see or do. It's true that New York is the city that never sleeps.

My personal life and work life are much more balanced here in Minnesota. First off, life no longer equals the practice of law. We now have an eight-month-old daughter and, suffice it to say, our perspective (and almost everything else in our lives) has changed. My life is much quieter here in Minnesota and there is little energy on the streets if I work late. In fact, my car is often the last one left in the parking lot. But, I'm now achieving the balance of life that was missing from my days in New York. I would not trade those days in New York for anything -- I learned so much and had so much fun. Yet, now that I am in a different stage of life, my more evenly paced life in Minnesota works for me.

Who You Work With

Whether the setting is New York or Minneapolis, experience confirms that the people you work with and your interest in the work itself are of primary importance. My colleagues at Brobeck became and remain close friends and mentors. Having great people to work with made all those late nights (and occasional all-nighters) bearable and even enjoyable. When several of us were working late during the crazed dot-com era, we would order sushi or Chinese food for dinner and have Ben & Jerry's ice cream delivered to our office at midnight (Kozmo and Urban Fetch were great, but unfortunately neither company is still in business). I was practicing technology law, my chosen field, and working with great clients and colleagues. I considered myself fortunate and realized that a career in technology law and working with people I enjoy were key factors to my own happiness.

Founding Thomas & Opp, pa, with my partner Larry Thomas has allowed me to continue in my chosen career path and, most importantly, to practice in the right environment with like-minded individuals. We see the business side of the practice of law and we share an entrepreneurial spirit and dedication to our clients and their goals. Who you associate with says a lot about you, and each of us feels that we've found a true partner.

Conclusion

The scenery and atmosphere are certainly different now that I reside and practice in Minnesota instead of New York. My office is on the first floor, I drive my own car instead of taking taxicabs, I arrive at the office well before 9:30 a.m. and leave the office well before midnight. Yet, these differences are fairly cosmetic. My work and the quality of my practice, which are the core components of my professional life, remain the same.

KAREN OPP is a cofounder of the Minneapolis firm of Thomas & Opp, PA. Together with her partner Larry Thomas, she concentrates her practice in technology law, including it procurement, patent, copyright, and trademark licensing.