Read "Part Time in Big Law: Is it Really Possible? for statistics and information on current firm part time programs, by clicking here.
Most Lawyers don't work part-time, most part-time lawyers are women, and most part-time women lawyers are mothers-- but why does this matter? It matters because it grudgingly permit part-time or reduced work schedules as a temporary accommodation for lawyers with family obligations, and where firm culture values long hours and face time. In a 2009 Project for Attorney Retention (PAR) study of part-time partners, 40percent of partners and counsel reported feeling stigmatized for having reduced their hours; they believed that because of working part-time they were devalued as professionals and denied equity partnership. This type of stigma makes lawyers less likely to work part-time, and more likely to leave their firms altogether if they cannot or choose not to meet full-time hours expectations. Therefore, part-time work does not provide a feasible alternative for lawyers who want to continue working at law firms while balancing work and person obligations.
Even when law firms allow attorneys to work part-time, they often do so to maintain lawyers who they hope will return to full-time work down the road. For example, one participant the Project for Attorney Retention's survey of part-time partners noted that although his law firm allows lawyers to work part-time, his it does not allow equity partners to work part-time for more than six months.[1] In his firm, part-time work arrangements appear to be a temporary concession rather than a benefit available to all or most lawyers.
While the information regarding part-time work at law firms is bleak, PAR's study found that law firms can reduce the stigma attached to part-time work by taking measures to support partners working part-time. These measures include creating a written policy for part-time partners, supporting flexibility in when and where partners work, vocally expressing support for part-time programs, and encouraging part-time partners to be active in firm leadership and building client relationships.[2] By showing that working fewer hours doesn't prevent part-time partners from being successful lawyers and firm leaders, law firms can reduce the stigma attached to part-time work.
While PAR's suggestions may help remove the stigma against partners and other lawyers who need to work part-time, they do not provide practical solutions for all lawyers who prefer to work part-time in order to address work-life balance concerns. Even if a law firm adopts all of PAR's suggested best practices, it can still discourage many lawyers working part-time by restricting who can work part-time and under what circumstances. If law firms manage to liberate part-time work from its negative associations, but still allow only mothers to move to part-time schedules, part-time work will still be an ineffective work-life balance tool for many lawyers. Therefore, successfully employing part-time scheduling arrangements to manage lawyers' work-life concerns requires achieving two interrelated goals: ensuring that part-time work is available to most lawyers, and ensuring that stigmatization does not discourage lawyers from taking advantage of part-time opportunities. Based on the number of firm lawyers who currently work part-time and law firms' treatment of part-time work, law firms in Southern California and the rest of the country are still far from achieving these goals.
[1]
Cynthia Thomas Calvert et. al. Reduced Hours, Full Success: Part-time Partners in U.S. Law Firms 19, The Project for Attorney Retention (2009).
[2]
Cynthia Thomas Calvert et. al. Reduced Hours, Full Success: Part-time Partners in U.S. Law Firms 28-34, The Project for Attorney Retention (2009).
Ashley Bowman is a member of Building a Better Legal Profession, (BBLP) an organization based at Stanford Law School. BBLP is a national grassroots movement that seeks market-based workplace reforms in large private law firms. For more information, visit BBLP's Web site at www.betterlegalprofession.org.
For more information about LexisNexis products and solutions connect with us through our corporate site.