One of the big perks of academia is yearlong sabbaticals that allow professors to escape their daily grind. But when they return, they’d better have something to show for their time away: a new book, a body of research, some proof that they weren’t just lying on the beach. The sabbatical afforded the partners of Haight, Brown & Bonesteel L.L.P. is much shorter–10 weeks–but sunbathing and other forms of R&R are not only allowed, they’re encouraged.
“What we do for a living just wears you down. You need some time to recharge your battery,” says partner Michael J. Leahy, a member of the executive committee at the litigation-heavy California firm. Although partners, who become eligible for a sabbatical their fifth year as partner and then every five years after that, can use their time any way they like, the firm wants them to unwind.
