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Any lawyers who've managed to negotiate part time jobs out there?

67 replies

manicmumday · 31/05/2006 18:07

I'm working full time in-house at the moment and increasingly finding it a struggle juggling everything, plus as my DS gets older (he's 18 months at the moment), I feel more and more like I'm missing out on time with him. I already know that part time isn't an option in my existing job (small team, plus very inflexible female boss) but am now wondering whether it's a realistic option at all. Plse give me hope before I despair totally - have any lawyers (any field) out there managed to negotiate part time work that's still interesting and doesn't effectively end their careers?

OP posts:
Berksmum · 24/06/2006 12:50

Hi Manicmumday,
I'm in-house too and have done 4 days a week for last 18 months. Started on 3 days after mat leave but after 6months it was made clear to me that it wasn't working from emp'er's point of view. I do a mix of advisory and transactional and have some pretty demanding clients (as internal clients tend to be- especially when they can walk up to your desk at any time!)

4 days is quite tough as already mentioned here (20% pay cut, working on 'day off', potential damage to promotion prospects), but my 1 day off a week is so precious. That's when I see my old NCT friends and play at being a SAHM (which I don't think I would enjoy but wish I at least had the option to try!)

It's still working on balance for me. If you're tempted, maybe you could arrange a trial period with your employer with a review option on both sides after a few months?

Deyo · 26/06/2006 21:11

Hello,

I am returning to work the end of July and will be working 17.5 days a week. Really worried about trying to manage motherhood and work. My H is great but he works shifts. Any tips or handy advice.

Deyo · 26/06/2006 21:13

Sorry everyone,

Just to clarify I will be working 17.5 hours a week, not 17.5 days!

controlfreaky2 · 26/06/2006 21:18

am barrister, in court most days. part time work (ie 3 days a week) just not an option (as regularly do long cases). as self employedcan take lots of holiday in theory (but not in practice).... am at end of tether with whole shebang and am about to start 1 year sabbatical... HOORAY! hope you find a way that suits you. good luck.

Berksmum · 27/06/2006 18:38

Don't worry Deyo, many lawyers regularly work 17.5 days a week according to their timesheets

what type of work will you be doing?

workingmama · 28/06/2006 11:06

I'm an in-house bod too and am toying with the idea of asking to do 4 days a wk. It's reassuring to hear that it can work (I do a mix of advisory and transactional work too) so I may just take the plunge and ask for it on a trial basis. I love the idea of a day a week just hanging out with DS, his little buddies and their SAHM's. Sounds like bliss.

Deyo - 17.5 hours a wk sounds v. reasonable to me if you're a lawyer. Those sorts of hours are v. hard to come by in my experience...

PS: Controlfreaky2, am so jealous, you lucky thing!

LJAM · 28/06/2006 22:01

i used to be a lawyer and now work on the business side on a trading floor. DS is 7 months old and i work 4 days a week.
it's tough. i also feel like i combine several roles and end up doing a lot of stuff and none of it particularly well. but although i haven't sussed it out perfectly yet, i do believe there's a way of making it work. mothers don't suddenly lose their capacity to contribute in a business environment just because they have kids + other responsibilities outside work. it just isn't logical for it to be all or nothing.
a supportive boss and a realistic outlook on pay/promotion prospects are essential.
but don't give up! try whatever you can until you find the way that works for you.

Deyo · 29/06/2006 20:39

Sorry guys not a lawyer at all.. so probably not entitled to be involved in conversations. Just alittle desperate for some reassurance and didn't read the conversation thread properly. Hope all your working hours stresses work out

Berksmum · 29/06/2006 20:43

Clairemow, blueshoes and any other PSLs out there,
The possibility has suddenly come up of me moving into this area at my current firm.

Would appreciate any advice on how you found the transition from fee-earning, how you go about creating your role and gaining the necessary skills, how your erstwhile team members now treat you and so on....

level · 31/07/2006 21:53

I know this may seem a bit premature but I'm starting my training contract this September at a regional commercial firm. I'll be 30 when I qualify and intend to start a family around that time.

In an ideal world I'd work 3 days a week and DH would also work 3 days a week. What is the best area of law to get into if this is my aim?

fridayschild · 03/08/2006 21:12

crown prosecution service? I know a pretty junior lawyer there who has just gone back 2 days a week.

level · 04/08/2006 15:36

I'm training at a commercial rather than a criminal firm so can't really join the CPS.

fridayschild · 04/08/2006 21:04

you can do litigation and join the cps after qualifying

did you actually read the thread before posting your question? there are lots of views

blueshoes · 04/08/2006 22:07

Level, I hate to stereotype, but I think the best work in a commercial firm for pt hours is property. Because you don't tend to just work on one or two transactions but a lot of files at one time, with paralegals to take the brunt of the day-to-day grunt.

Avoid hard core transactional work, like corporate takeovers, mergers, initial public offerings, and financing work around that as well as transactional loans. The feature of these transactions is that they tend to be big, take up almost all your time (and thus not easily delegable), have client-led timetables.

If possible, do advisory, rather than transactional work ie giving advice rather than drafting documents for a transaction. These tend to be slightly better. Although I can't really think of any field that is purely advisory, there tends to be a mix. However, I imagine that tax, employment, regulatory, would have a greater portion of advisory work.

I hope I am not talking out of my bottom. I am ex-capital markets at a City firm and so my understanding of other areas of law is sketchy at best!

But a lot of this depends on your firm and its clients. So use your training seats to get a better idea of where to go. Good luck. It is not easy to work pt as a fee-earner.

Though I see it working a lot more successfully in support roles, like PSLs.

blueshoes · 04/08/2006 22:10

Berksmum, I am not actually a PSL, though close enough to the role to see how it works in their many permutations.

You mentioned you are in-house. My experience is within a City law firm, so I hope still relevant. Will you be the only PSL in your department, or will you be joining an existing team of PSLs?

fridayschild · 06/08/2006 21:02

blueshoes, level is looking to become p/t as soon as she can after qualification. I've done property in commercial firms for 12 years and tho' you can get lots of little matters it's 100%transactional. I know a couple of p/t property lawyers, but they all have a lot of experience, and feel they have had their last promotion.

the real difficulty is that commercial firms are in the business of making money, and you're not going to get much return on an NQ, still less a part time one - I think level is best advised to head for something essential yet dull. Any tax lawyers out there care to shoot me down?

bosscat · 06/08/2006 21:05

I'm criminal, I went back 1 day a week for 2 months, then 2 for another 2, 3 for 2 and am now 4 and am sticking at that. but I'm a duty solicitor so people don't really care. they get my duties whether I'm 1 day or 5.

ocd · 06/08/2006 21:06

bossy how are things?
what do you htink will happen to he new stuff due to coem in at xmas?

bosscat · 06/08/2006 21:13

its going really well thanks although you are going to have be more specific about the new things at christmas (so maybe not that well!!!!!!!!!!!!)

ocd · 06/08/2006 21:14

the newq sentencing, intermitten custody, custody plus etc

ocd · 06/08/2006 21:15

ill send oyu our trainign stuff if you like!

bosscat · 06/08/2006 21:18

hasn't this all been abandoned? john reid announced it a couple of weeks ago didn't he? custody plus had defo been binned (it was in the telegraph on friday) but not sure about intermittent custody but I imagine it has as it was all part of the same thing

bosscat · 06/08/2006 21:19

and it cost a fortune because all you beaks were trained in it! just like the proposed merging of the police forces, everyone gearing up for it and then abandoned

ocd · 06/08/2006 21:20

oh thnak GOD
as it was cuasing me worris
we nted out trainign was rtaher casual

ocd · 06/08/2006 21:22

link please to news