In the April Illinois Bar Journal, Rock Island circuit court judge Clarence M. "Mike" Darrow and federal district judge Sara Darrow talk among other things about what parenting is like when both Mom and Dad are judges.

IBJ: What's harder, being husband-and-wife lawyers or husband-and-wife judges?

Mike: From a parental perspective, being a self-employed attorney gave our family an enviable level of flexibility for the many moving parts of raising six young children. Fortunately, now that our children are older we don't need that same level of flexibility with our fixed schedules. Our children have taken the whole thing in stride, and we can report to parents who aspire to be judges that it will have zero impact on the orders you give at home.

Sara: We also have more in common to talk about as judges. Even though we sit in different courts, we are uniquely situated to truly understand the difficulties we each face at work.

While our jobs allow us exposure to a variety of interesting legal issues, the stakes are high and it can be emotionally draining. I appreciate being able to come home to someone who relates to my day and offers perspective and good humor. It's also nice that we can bounce ideas off of one another and quickly understand the other's position. That being said, if we spent all of our time discussing work we would be the dullest husband-wife judges! Read the entire interview.