Point and counter-point on lawyer work-life balance

On one side is the Project for Attorney Retention. From a PAR press release yesterday . . .

The Project for Attorney Retention (PAR) works to stem unwanted attrition among lawyers – a benefit for both legal employers and the lawyers themselves – by promoting work/life balance and the advancement of women in the legal profession. "PAR is the leading voice in the legal profession for practical, creative research and advice on work-life balance issues,” said James Sandman, former managing partner of Founding Member Arnold & Porter.  “PAR members value work-life balance and show it by their support of the best organization dealing with these issues as they affect lawyers."

On the other side is J.D. Hull at What About Clients. From his post Work-life balance is a dumb-ass issue . . .

I'm not an expert, but here's what I know and think about work-life balance for lawyers, especially junior ones:

1. Practicing law is hard and demanding--even for brilliant, diligent and accomplished people. I've said this before. No big deal.

2. If you wanted just a job, you got into the wrong line of work.

3. WLB is "your" problem--not mine. Each one of us creates our own quality of life as we learn to lawyer, keep lawyering and serve clients.

4. If you are a job-hunting student or young lawyer expecting my firm to support a regime of work-life harmony, please try another shop. Your problem. We are happy and well-rounded people who work our asses off. It frightens us and makes us angry that you would ever think practicing law could be easy in the beginning. People twice as smart and as hardworking as you paid huge dues to be able to call himself or herself a "lawyer". Go away.

5. Color me Midwestern. It's privilege to work. It's a privilege to practice law.

From the About Us at Law Students Building a Better Legal Profession . . .

Law Students Building a Better Legal Profession is a group of students from across the country dedicated to helping law firms and lawyers recommit to a legal profession devoted to effective and efficient client service, to lawyers as people, and to the roots of our profession in service.  We are working to ensuring that practicing law does not mean giving up a commitment to family, community, and dedicated service to clients. By advocating for reforms to law firms we hope to help keep law both a business and a profession to be proud of.

From Work-Life Balance is PC for “Slacker” by Dan Morris at VeraSage . . .

[M]aybe that is the problem with this incessant discussion about how people desire a work-life balance; in as much as column inch after column inch of professional literature has been dedicated to this topic along with hour upon pabulum (and mundane) hour of seminars, lead by the modern day charlatan the “executive coach” has pummeled this mantra of this generation or that generation requiring greater work-life balance or they will leave firms for better pastures. Work-life balance is for slackers.

Please let me know of other snippets I should add. Is synthesis of, or collaboration between, these points of view possible? Necessary? Desirable? How would synthesis or collaboration be achieved?