By Stephanie Everett
At Lawyerist—and our sister company, Affinity Consulting—we closed the company for an entire week. Again.
No Teams. No meetings. No sneaky inbox checks “just in case.” Everyone unplugged. Everyone offline.
And no, it didn’t happen magically.
It wasn’t easy.
It didn’t happen because we could afford it.
We did it because we planned for it.
“That’s Nice, But It’ll Never Work”— And Other Lies We Tell Ourselves
We hear this all the time. Whether we’re talking about a one-week office closure, a team retreat, or a six-week sabbatical abroad, the response is often the same:
“That sounds amazing. But we could never pull that off.”
We’ve helped our clients prove otherwise. And now we’re showing what’s possible by doing it ourselves.
The reality is that you can do hard things when you plan intentionally and build systems that make rest, flexibility, and sustainability actually feasible.
Shutting down for a week wasn’t a reward—it was a leadership decision. One that required forethought, communication, and a little courage.
Why We Did It (Again)
This was the second year in a row we closed the company during the week of July 4th. We chose this week strategically because it:
- naturally coincides with lower client activity
- marks a mid-year reset point
- sets a cultural tone that says: “We mean it when we say we value well-being.”
More than that, we know what it feels like to try to rest when the world keeps spinning. Even the most well-intentioned vacations fall apart when your inbox keeps buzzing, or your team is still online.
So, we turned off the lights—on purpose—and asked everyone to truly disconnect. No guilt. No catch-up stress. Just space.
Rest Requires Just as Much Planning as Work
This wasn’t luck or luxury. It was deliberate design:
- We notified clients well in advance
- We adjusted timelines and deliverables
- We empowered team members to plan ahead
- We gave our full team permission to unplug without anxiety
This is the same thinking we coach our clients to build into their own systems. Want to take six weeks abroad with your family and come back to a business that didn’t miss a beat? Want your team to set real boundaries and feel supported in keeping them?
Then build the infrastructure that makes that reality possible.
We’re not just coaches. We’re builders. And this break was something we built with intention.
Rest Sends a Signal. Here’s What Ours Says.
In the legal world—heck, in most professional services—there’s an unspoken belief that nonstop availability is the price of credibility.
We reject that.
We’re not just here to make firms look healthy. We help them be healthy. And a healthy team requires breathing room, not just workflow optimization.
This companywide shutdown is more than just a break. It’s a statement.
A message to our team, our clients, and our industry:
We don’t just preach balance. We operationalize it.
We don’t wait for burnout. We plan for rest on purpose.
We believe in building businesses that breathe—and we’re doing it.
The Results Speak for Themselves
One of our team members summed it up best:
“It’s an incredible feeling to work for a company that truly prioritizes well-being. I didn’t open my laptop once, and that freedom to fully unplug made all the difference. Now we’re back with fresh energy and focus, ready to serve our clients and each other.”
That energy? You can’t fake it.
It only comes from space. And space only happens when you carve it out intentionally.
It’s Not “Can You?”—It’s “How Will You?”
So here’s the real question for leaders reading this:
What would need to be true for you to close your firm for a week?
Not: “Why it won’t work.”
But: “What needs to happen for it to work?”
That’s the shift. And it’s where transformation begins.
We’re proud to say we didn’t just survive a week away—we came back better.
And we’d love to help your firm do the same.
Last updated July 11th, 2025
