Two's company: Husband-and-wife attorneys achieve a work/life balance

Brad and Sarah Luchsinger are pictured while sight-seeing in Paris.

By Jeanine Matlow
Legal News

While they were both in law school at Michigan State University College of Law, Brad and Sarah Luchsinger first met at Dublin Square, an Irish pub in in East Lansing.

As the lovely couple demonstrates, not only can two lawyers be better than one, there is no need for courtroom-style drama in their personal lives.

"At my job, I argue with attorneys on a daily basis," says Brad. "It occupies my time pretty well and I get kind of argued out, so it's not as bad at home."

Sarah adds, "Being with another attorney helps how we approach a problem in kind of a similar way. And we both understand the demands of what being an attorney means and the time commitment when litigation goes into full swing."

When Sarah worked as a law clerk for a personal injury firm before she met Brad, there were two attorneys there who were married to each other and the husband told her, "No one pays us to argue or debate at home, so we don't."

Sarah would go on to specialize in medical malpractice for Worsham & Victor before switching to her current position as an in-house consultant for a nonprofit health care company. Brad is currently an associate patent attorney with Harness, Dickey, & Pierce in Troy.

The two are avid travelers. A recent trip included stops in Paris, Geneva, and Venice. And Brad just returned from a ski trip in Park City, Utah. Last year, the couple went to St. Kitts.

"It's a beautiful island in the Caribbean that still had sugar plantations until about 10 years ago when they switched over to tourism. So you still can appreciate the local culture. It's really a wonderful place to visit," Brad says.

"We started the travel precedent early on when we first started dating," he adds. "We went to Mackinac Island and stayed at the Grand Hotel."

Their distinct destinations started out strong with their honeymoon in Monte Carlo.

"That was a pretty spectacular trip," says Sarah. "We set the bar really high early on."

This summer they're heading to a wedding in Germany. When Sarah studied abroad in Scotland, she met the future bride, who is now a judge in Munich.

Local spots continue to make the list.

"We went to Walloon Lake for our anniversary and Petoskey and Charlevoix," says Brad. "That was a lot of fun."

They also have their own individual interests. In her spare time, Sarah has run one full marathon and several half-marathons in Michigan, while Brad enjoys skiing, grouse hunting and bass fishing.

"I enjoy the outdoors," he says. "It provides a nice outlet and release from work when I'm outside. I enjoy nature."

The couple has two bird dogs, black lab Ginsee, named after U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ginsburg and English setter Soto, named after U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sotomayor.

"Bird hunters usually will have multiple dogs at any given time because the older one helps train the younger one," says Brad.

Sarah, who grew up with cats, brought a "very fat tabby" that her sister found in an alley to the relationship.

"I came with a cat, he came with a dog, and we got a puppy," she says.

Now, both have gained an appreciation for the other breed.

"I like our cat. He's very dog-like because he's always around," Brad says.

And Sarah has no problem with the dogs despite the fact that they can be challenging.

"Hunting dogs are not your everyday house pets," Brad explains. "They can be trying at times."

Perhaps the most important lesson the pair can share is that they make time for each other despite the demands of their careers.

"When you have two working professionals in one household, it's important to balance your work life with your home life," Brad says. "A good way to do it is to not only have common interests, but your own thing too. That's something that helps us tremendously."

Sarah agrees.

"You have to make sure that you make time for each other," she says. "I have a long drive and Brad has long hours. It's easier in the summer. We live on Lake Orion and we'll come home, make dinner, and go out on the boat with the girls (dogs)."

Published: Thu, Apr 14, 2016

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