1 Lawyer, 2 Jobs: Full-Time Baby-sitter Is Key in Family Life
As both a corporate partner in the Chicago office of Drinker Biddle & Reath and chairman of the Illinois State Board of Education, Jesse Ruiz is a busy guy. His workday starts at 5 a.m. and ends at 9 p.m. And his wife, Michele Ruiz, is a partner at Sidley Austin.
How does the 43-year-old balance his two jobs with his family obligations? He and his wife have a full-time baby-sitter. Plus they include their children in work-related activities, such as helping with the South Carolina primary in connection with the presidential campaign of his former law professor, Barack Obama, Jesse Ruiz tells the Chicago Tribune.
“I drive our two sons to school every morning,” he tells the newspaper. “That’s 30 minutes of uninterrupted time, chatting with them, engaging with them about stories we hear on National Public Radio.”
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Editor’s note: This story has generated a robust debate among our readers over work/life balance since it was posted Feb. 2. Which made us wonder: How do you balance the need to make a living with the desire to have a satisfying personal and family life? Tell us below in the comments, so your colleagues in the legal profession can benefit from your experience.
