In the legal profession, some firms are known to encourage a workaholic culture. I have heard tales of associates spending multiple nights sleeping (a couple hours) on office couches, being called away from the Thanksgiving dinner table to work, or awoken by the proverbial “3 a.m. phone call” by a partner demanding immediate attendance at the office. The funny thing is that most of these stories come from the associates themselves—bragging about how much they work!
I work hard for my clients, but with a wonderful wife and daughter in my life, I am of the mind that some of the most important things are found outside the office. However, one small business owner, who was the subject of a recent SBA Office of Hearings and Appeals decision, might feel right at home in one of those workaholic law firms. This business owner was able to convince SBA OHA that he worked full time both for his 8(a) company and his separate service-disabled veteran-owned small business—by putting in a whopping 95 hours per week.
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