By QINA LIU
qliu@bizjournals.com | 716-541-1613

For Terrence Connors and other trial attorneys, there is no such thing as a 9-to-5 workday.

"If someone comes to see you, it's usually at a low point in their life - whether it's a civil case where they've been permanently injured or a criminal case, and they're facing the government in a very desperate moment in their lives," he said. "So you can't really say, 'I have to go home at 5 o'clock and can't take care of your problem.' "

Connors, of Connors & Vilardo LLP, has been litigating for 26 years. He said he wakes up at 6:30 every morning and usually doesn't return home until after 7 p.m. Then, after dinner, he often finds himself reading deposition transcripts or brushing up on a case. On trial days, he typically gets up 5 a.m. to prepare.   

"Six days a week, it adds up pretty quickly," he said.

Laraine Kelley, a senior partner at Lipsitz Green Scime Cambria LLP, has been a litigator for more than 25 years. She said she finds herself in a similar situation.

"If you're talking about how to balance trial work, the answer is that you don't," she said. "Even if you're not working, that's all you're thinking about anyway."

She said she works an average of 10 hours a day and 60 hours a week. When she's working on a trial, Kelley said she pulls longer hours: She'll work all weekend to prepare herself and then from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. on the actual trial days.

"I don't think anyone can balance a trial and pick up the kids amidst a trial," she said.

According to Kelley, lawyers must have a good support system in friends and family members who can help with child care and other issues. She also said lawyers must be sure to schedule downtime to avoid burnout.

"You have to schedule it in the same way you have to schedule a trial," she said. "You have to schedule downtime."

William Christ, meanwhile, is a partner at Phillips Lytle LLP. He has been practicing for 20 years and said he schedules family reunions, sporting events and other occasions far in advance.

Christ and his wife have five children ranging in age from 5 to 18. There are always hockey games or mock trial meets to attend, he added.

"Sometimes we happen to run from one game to another game or event," he said.

He said he balances family and work by sharing common interests and hobbies with his children. In fact, he was an advisers for his daughter's mock trial team at Holy Angels Academy. During meets, he said, he would sometimes be reminded of previous cases.

Connors also balanced family life with work by making his son's league hockey games a priority. For years, he accompanied his son to the games. They were good bonding experiences, he said.

"That's what you do," he said. "You carve out those things that are essential to you and to your family and to your life and you work around the rest of the schedule."

Connors, a former college athlete, said he doesn't have many hobbies other than law, and if he were to go back to the start of his career, he would choose to be a trial lawyer all over again.

"I mean, it's fascinating what I do every day," he said. "To me, it's a lot more exciting and interesting than the pastimes I can apply."

While modern technology helps facilitate faster, easier communication, Christ said it also means lawyers are on call 24/7.

"Given the time pressure everyone has these days, clients want their lawyers to get back to them quickly," he said.

Connors added that the nature of litigation makes it an all-consuming career.

"It's the kind of thing where the trials of your clients often become your troubles, and they're not on any schedule," he said.

Despite - or perhaps because of - the challenges, Connors, Kelley and Christ all say they take great pleasure in the work.

"What keeps me going is the next case, the next phone call and the next person on my doorstep," Connors said.