The Importance (and Limits) of Availability

Being responsive while maintaining boundaries in a service business

My law students sometimes express surprise at how fast I respond to e-mail. My response: “While you can take the boy out of Big Law, you can’t take Big Law out of the boy.” I say that because in my time in private practice I had a very high level of immediate responsiveness drilled into me (and despite my best efforts, I haven’t been able to adjust that much in the seven years since I became a full-time professor).

But many new lawyers and summer associates experience the opposite challenge. Although the current generation has, by and large, grown up in the age of e-mail (my kids’ school starts using their e-mail addresses in 5th Grade!) they don’t always see the medium as something that requires constant monitoring 24-7-365. This disconnect creates an expectation mismatch between junior lawyers and more senior lawyers and clients.

Here’s the reality: lawyers are in a service profession. They work for clients who expect them to be there whenever necessary and at least in corporate practice, they pay significant fees for that level of access. That client expectation often trickles down to the internal team. Senior lawyers, in turn, may expect that same level of responsiveness from their more junior colleagues.

Although is not just e-mail, e-mail is a big part of it. I wrote about e-mail etiquette a few weeks ago, but today I want to highlight the bigger challenge of learning to be responsive while also setting boundaries.

I’ll confess I don’t have any perfect answers. But I do have some thoughts:

1. Responsiveness Does Not Equal Always On. I’m not suggesting you need to drop everything at every ping. But especially during the summer, it’s worth leaning into the expectation of responsiveness, because it helps you succeed and helps you learn what kind of lawyer you want to become. If you don’t want a job that requires high responsiveness, that’s perfectly fine. Just recognize that certain practice settings—especially in Big Law or client-heavy roles—might not be the right fit. What matters most is that your expectations align with those of the people you’re working with.

2. Start Building Good Habits. As a junior associate, I remember feeling like I couldn’t even go to a movie without checking my phone (which, to be clear, was not true). But I did learn that I needed to be more deliberate about my availability. I kept my phone out when I was waiting on a deliverable or client request. I checked email more often than I did as a law student—not constantly, but intentionally. And if I was going to be out of pocket for a stretch (a wedding weekend, a flight, or just a break), I gave my team a heads-up. And if you get a non-urgent message as you walk into a restaurant to have dinner with your spouse just let the sender know that you’ll handle it with a simple reply: “Got it. I’ll take care of this by EOD tomorrow.” That kind of response shows you’re on top of things—and it buys you space to prioritize.

3. Use This Summer to Experiment. Responsiveness matters—but it can also be debilitating if not treated properly. It can lead to burnout and dissatisfaction. The trick is learning to balance it with boundaries. That balance is hard. I still struggle with it. Most lawyers do. But the summer is the perfect time to test strategies. You can build the reflex to stay connected while also learning to set boundaries that protect your health, time, and relationships.

Keep standing out,

Jonah