I feel like I've been seeing more attorneys around the boards and just wanted to say hello and ask what everyone practices. I'm a sahm right now but practiced mostly corporate and securities law , for the govt and large firm.
You?
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I am coming out of lurker land to respond! I always pay close attention to the lawyer posts to see if others have figured out how to balance work with home, or if there is such a thing? I have a five month old daughter and practice (civil litigation) in NYC... I've been back to work for almost two month and although I'm blessed with a very flexible boss, it's still a major struggle.
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Preggo now, due in September. I work as a government lawyer handling legislative matters.
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small firm, civil litigation
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Another NYC-area bee practicing insurance defense litigation. Still TTC but definitely worried about post-baby balance.
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I am a government lawyer and handle ethical matters. I was in private practice and handled mostly family and probate matters.
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I'm an attorney though I don't technically practice law (but you have to be a licensed attorney to work where I do). I had to go the non-traditional route to get the work-life balance I wanted.
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@lawbee11: Did you come from a law firm background? Did you have other job experience that helped you get a non-traditional job? I would love to do…. something else (not sure what?). But like, literally all I've ever done for work is serve hamburgers and then sue people. I feel like I'm so pigeon holed into litigation, I don't know how to pursue a career outside of a firm.
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@Madison43: My LO is 18 months, and I struggle daily with the balance. It is so much more difficult to find a balance with a billable hour requirement . . . especially if you want to see your career progress. Currently, I work at nights and on weekends to make up for the time I am not able to be in the office. It's not easy, and no one ever talks about how hard it is . . . I think for fear of giving anyone the impression that they are incapable of . . . well, just that, that they are incapable.
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I am currently pregnant due in July and work in-house for a medium size company. I am so glad that I moved from a firm to in-house. Having no billables is amazing!!!!
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@Mae: Nope! I interned for a judge my first summer in law school (I actually really enjoyed that), then I started working for my current employer during my second summer in law school, continued working here part-time during my 3L year, then started full-time after the bar exam. So I've never worked at a firm (never had the desire to).
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I did civil litigation for a mid-size firm, then started working for a federal judge to get more balance. It's a pretty good gig for family life, though I still would love to be around a bit more. The salary is less than firm life, but it's not as bad as I thought it would be based on what people say about government lawyer salaries. Considering the hours are so much better, it's definitely a good gig. I wish there were more part time legal options.
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@justdarling: YES!!! No billables has rocked my world!
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I practice procurement law in our government contracting group, and I work for one of the largest federal agencies. My background however is criminal law, and I miss it terdibly. However, for some reason they see something in me and I'm getting opportunities for advancement that everyobe tells me I'd be foolish to leave. I get off work at 5pm everyday, have every other Friday off, and am exempt from furlough and sequestration. So, it's a great place for ttc right now and I'm thankful, but I'm not doing what I paid $$$$ to do. Such is life I guess!
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@MsLipGloss: Exactly. No one here really cares about how much face time I put in (I realize I'm lucky in that regard) but the hours have to come from somewhere. The alternative is to cut back my billable requirement, and basically mommy track myself for a few years, but damn - after all this work to get here, that option is kind of depressing. I just need an extra few hours in every day ....
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@Mrs. Blue: A few of my co-workers work school hours (9-3). Maybe if you ever move a little further south I can hook you up
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@lawbee11: Gah, I would totally work for your employer! I think it sounds fun. Those would be awesome hours.
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@Madison43: It is depressing and maddening! That, and, the other component that people don't talk about is how much your status as a *mother with a young child* in and of itself has the potential to knock you out of consideration for certain cases because of the fear that you won't be *reliable.* It's never talked about, and certainly never admitted, but it's there, even in the best environments.
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@Madison43: I went with my government job knowing my salary was a total pittance compared to what my friends made in bigger cities at firms. But I don't have billables, any time I put in over 40 hours a week is paid time off, I get all the major holidays plus 2 vacation days a month, I pay into a pension, and our health insurance coverage is amazing and cheap. And our office allows part-time work arrangements. Needless to say, there are a lot of moms in our office, and our bosses are used to people calling in sick all the time for their kids or taking the day off to go on a field trip.
DH is an attorney too and works insane hours, but has structured his career in such a way that its a lot more family friendly. Basically, he has two jobs. The first job is that he teaches business law at a local college 2-3 days a week during the school year (about 7 months out of the year). The teaching gig gives him the ability to have a steady salary, retirement, and benefits while working just a few days a week. He also runs a full-time private practice of his own out of our home office the rest of the time, so there's a lot of nights and weekends involved, but he's physically at home. So technically DH is working the equivalent of law firm hours, but has no billables and gets to build his own schedule.
We made the decision to structure our careers this way to maximize time with our kids once we had them, even if it means less income than if we both worked at law firms. We still make a decent living (thanks to DH) and we live extremely frugally, so I think it will all average out in the end. I would like to be a SAHM, but we have those pesky law school loans, so we're hoping to pay those off quickly and then reassess our goals. In the meantime, I'm holding on to my job!
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I'm also an attorney and work for a federal government agency. I don't want to be too specific about what I do, since it's sort of a niche job and there aren't that many others who do what I do. I always wanted to work for the government, so I tracked myself into it in law school (took the "right" classes, interned for an agency one summer and a judge the next, etc). It could have seriously backfired on me, but I got lucky and landed a job similar to my current one when I graduated and then got my current job when we moved cross-country. I love it (and I didn't have to retake the bar exam, woohoo!!).
At my current job, I do travel now and then for a couple days at a time, but otherwise it's a strictly 40-hour workweek and I have the ability to telecommute (I haven't really taken advantage of it up to now, but I'll probably start doing more soon). I don't actually think my salary is bad -- it's currently pretty comparable to what I'd get paid per hour at a firm, I just take home less because I work fewer hours. As I get more senior, the pay disparity will get bigger (gov't salaries tend to plateau right about the time private sector ones really take off, unfortunately...) but it's a trade-off I'm more than willing to make. The main downside to my job is that we operate on two-year terms, so I don't know if/when I'll ever really be permanent, but nobody who does a good job and is well-liked has ever been booted due to that, so I'm just crossing my fingers it stays that way.
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@Madison43: i totally agree (yay, another NYC lawyer!) it's hard having to worry about mommy tracking yourself but also feeling like in a sense you do want to mommy track yourself in the sense that you need to do a good job at both your jobs, and the mommy job is every bit as important (if not more so).
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Civil litigation; small firm; flexible boss; awesome clients (mostly); no real billable requirement.
Maternity leave (if and when I become pregnant) will be tricky, but the overall flexibility is amazing.
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I worked in big law firms for 2.5 years before coming to my current, non-traditional position. I still need a JD, but my day to day work is not really practicing. My employer is supportive of my pro bono cases, so that's great. I work 8-4:30pm every day. I really can't imagine having Baby A while I was working at the firm. One of my good friends works at a big firm and basically does what @MsLipGloss does - a lot of time working from home while LO is asleep. She's currently pregnant with #2 and will start looking for an in house position after her mat leave.
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@MsLipGloss: I try to explain the reliability issue to my husband all the time .... It doesn't matter if everyone thinks you're amazing if they can't depend on you to jump on a 6:30 pm conference call on a moment's notice. They will accept that I can't make it because I'm doing bedtime, but also won't hesitate to replace me with someone that can be available on a dime.
Edited to add ... I mean replace me on a case, not replace me at the firm :-). My job - thankfully - is secure.
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Semi-unemployed lawyer here checking in. I've been in class action litigation for the last four years. My firm was super family friendly but also, unfortunately, not super busy and is likely dissolving. So I'm on the job hunt. I'm really hoping to secure a government/public sector position, as they seem keep better hours than your standard litigation gig.
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@Mrs. Blue: What do you do for the judge? Are you an attorney research clerk?
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@MrsMcD: I'm a law clerk. Most people don't think about the career positions, but they're a great gig depending on the judge for whom you are working. I do basically the same work I did as an associate, except with only one boss, less hours, better insurance and less pay.
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@Mrs. Blue: I have always considered a law clerk position for the stability and predictability. But I love court so much right now. Its awesome to know you work as one. I'm sure I will have questions for you at some point.
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@MrsMcD: It's fantastic. I'm in court far more than I ever was working for a firm (I attend all court settings), and I love learning about the way judges think about cases. If I ever go back to private practice, I think it will be immensely helpful. Every now and then, I get a little twinge of wishing I was actually doing the litigating, but then I remember the hours I used to work, and I happily settle back into my desk!
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I'm a corporate and securities lawyer at a big firm and am about to go out on maternity leave with my second. The hours suck, but that's at least manageable. Like @Madison43 said, the unpredictability and last minute requests are what makes it so difficult. Fortunately my husband is amazing and bears the brunt of most of the kid responsibilities. He is also a lawyer, but his job is a bit more flexible than mine. I love my job, but an in-house gig is starting to look better and better b/c I have no idea what we are going to do when there are two of them!!
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I worked at a firm doing civil litigation and some transactional work for about 8 years. I hated the billable hour requirement and I was just not happy. The year I was pregnant I did contract work doing document review and I LOVED that...no client management or dealing with opposing counsel or trying to meet a billable hour requirement. It paid less but was soooo much less stressful. I really love appellate work and would love to focus solely on that but again, billable hours and working in a firm environment doesn't make me happy. There is no way I would ever go back to working at a law firm. It's just not for me and looking back I totally did it for the money and I wish I has pursued other options rather than going to work for a traditional law firm.
@pinkcupcake: I'm currently a SAHM too and I really love it. I'm keeping my license active but don't plan to go back to work for a few more years. I wouldn't mind going back to doing document review bc there is usually a lot of flexibility with setting your hours. And when you're done for the day no one is calling or emailing you. It's hard to find a job like that...but the trade off is a smaller paycheck but I think it's worth it
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My position is much like @MrsMcD:'s, except that I primarily focus on family law with general litigation as a side practice area. Small firm, amazingly flexible partners, no billable requirement, in around 8:30/9:00, hour lunch (the office closes), and out by 5:00. No issue with mommy-tracking, partnership opportunity around 3 years or so. I'm not making big law money, but I have nowhere near the pressure or expectations, either. This firm suits me well.
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@Mrs. Blue: I have several dream jobs in mind, and being a law clerk is close to the top of my list. I am hoping the work I do in the next year or two could line me up to take a clerking position (or help me go another direction). I spent some time (in law school) clerking for a senior federal appellate judge. Nothing I have done in my practice to date has even come close to that . . . I think it ruined me!
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@MsLipGloss: I'm so glad to know that others consider a clerk job as somewhat of a dream job.
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@Pirouette: Agree. She's my priority now so mommy tracking, at least for a few years, is the best way to try and have a little of the best of both worlds. But it's hard for me to accept slowing down, even though I want/need to, you know?
I love hearing about everyone's non-billable positions. So inspiring!
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I work for a Legal Aid society - cause (poverty law) is close to my heart. It's stressful but not in a big law firm kind of way. No billable hour requirements! Good time off, I work 8:30-5, but I take stuff home fairly frequently. It can be exhausting working with my clients.
The worst part about my job right now is a 1 hour commute each way.
Not sure what will happen if hopefully a future LO comes. Obviously the pay is horrible! LOL. I have noooo interest in working for a private firm.
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@MrsADS: I would love to work at Legal Aid doing domestic violence work! It would be a 11K payout with no real raises, so we are trying to figure out if that would ever work with DC prices, and the $$$$ of future daycare
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I'm a partner in a boutique firm. I'm on maternity leave for one more glorious month
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I am a lawyer in a major Canadian city - mid sized firm, civil litigation. I am mommy tracked - I work 4 days a week, two from home. We have longer mat leaves here, so it makes it complex to be in private practice. It's good in some respects being mommy-tracked because then you have the flexibility to adapt when things change with the family. It's bad, however, in that your career at the very best remains flat for a long time. Which is tough to swallow as an ambitious person.
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I am lawyer who doesn't practice. I work mostly on legislation and policy... I do *a lot* of bill analysis, writing, and strategy - thinking through the various personalities at play and what's likely to happen in at any given time in our industry. It certainly doesn't pay like Big Law, but it's what I have always wanted to do and it is very family-friendly... 40 hours/week, telework, great benefits. The unfortunate part is that it is a small world and many of the tracks available pay really, really poorly - I would like to move on from my current job but am stuck between the option of working insane hours or making very little money.
Not sure what will happen if hopefully a future LO comes. Subscribe to our newsletter
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