Should I return to City Law firm?

[Citymama]

I am a former City lawyer who has been offered the chance to return to the City.

After I had children I moved from my City firm to a more local firm and worked part time (3 days a week). I am senior, 9 years pqe but as I work part time, I have been marginalised ( juniors getting better work etc). I will never be promoted in my current job but have accepted the job's limitations on the basis that I get to see my children on my days off.

At a recent event in the City, I bumped into a former colleague ( now a partner at a different firm from the one we trained at) who has subsequently offered me a job in his team. However they are offering me a full time job, part time not an option. Whilst I really enjoy being a lawyer,and have always wanted to work (and needed to work for financial reasons) full time work in the City would of course be really demanding. Other half also in the City and works long hours, so children would see neither of us during the week apart from bath/bedtime. I have twins (4 years) about to start school in September.

I feel very lucky to have been offered this but I can't get comfortable with how little I will see the children during the week. However the children will be at school for most of the day and is now the time to step up work a notch or two?

They obviously want you.... have you tried to negotiate 80% hours? I am a corporate lawyer at a City firm and that's what I and quite a few of my friends do (at about the same level as you). We have a nominated 'day off' but generally flexible about swapping it/working at home/working full time when busy and then taking a week off to make up. I also find that I can generally leave at 5.30 with my laptop, go home and put kids to bed, then log on and work in the evening which means I seem them most days. Obviously this isn't possible every day but we generally manage to get one of us home most days. I don't think I could face moving to a local firm. Have you thought about a PSL job in the city? I have just been offered one but don't think I am going to take it.

Having worked in a city firm, my own personal view is, no way back!! I now work in house 3 days per week, leave at 5pm every day, NEVER work at home or weekends.

Obviously have a large salary drop, and no lovely foreign holidays or meals out or many new material items, but means that we have dinner every night with the kids at 5.30pm (useful when dcs start school), have a bit of time to practice reading etc before bath and bedtime, and never feel guilty about work or kids.

With dc1 just finishing reception, I think school has been a different kettle of fish to nursery. Dc1 has needed more support, both emotionally and practically, and it has helped him make friends for me to set up playdates after school on my non working days (although you cld do these at weekends of course).

Its a personal opinion of course, and well done you for being headhunted! Its gutting to have to make choices and compromises, but that's just life eh, not going to become bitter about it. My grandplan is to wait til kids are in early teens and then concentrate on my career again, and my current job keeps me in the game so to speak x

I think it depends what you want from life and whether you are happy to spend less time at home and more time at work.

I did 6 years at a City law firm before leaving for a local firm, and I very much doubt I will ever return to the City. One of the reasons I left was because I always knew that if/when DP and I start a family the City culture would not work for me anymore. But then again I have always been a bit of a home body and someone who prioritises friends and family above career.

Also I had quite a long commute to the City which makes a difference and DP works long hours too.

I would bear in mind that jobs at decent local firms can be hard to come by (especially part time ones) so I would think very very hard before leaving.

Have you considered whether working from home for a day or two each week might help mitigate the full time hours? I work in a transactional department in a City law firm and do four days a week with one day working from home, on the understanding that the day is a 9.30-5.30 day provided that I don't have a deal completing. Not having to commute makes a huge difference and I am around at the beginning and end of the day (probably the times when you'll most want to be around when you have school age children). The technology for remote working has got a lot better in recent years and as long as you have a quiet space to work at home and childcare in the school holidays, it might be a good compromise. You may have to prove to the sceptics that you're working just as hard from home as you would in the office, but overall, my feeling is that it's an easier arrangement to sell to the partners than part-time working.

What is your specialism? That will make a difference.

Logistically, it is harder once your twins are in school as school ends at 3pm, plus your children will need support for doing homework, someone to send them to afterschool activities and arranging playdates.

So if this coincides with your stepping up your hours, then you have to be prepared for a double whammy. If your salary allows you to afford a nanny, that would be a great help on the childcare front.

I used to be a fee-earner in a City firm but now do a in-house role. I love being involved in mega-transactions, so prefer to work in a City firm, rather than a corporate. The fact that I do so in a support capacity is much less demanding and amenable to flexible working. I know other women fee-earners who have made the switch to various PSL, knowledge, training, risk, HR and IT roles in a City firm.

The greatest difficulty with going back to ft fee-earning in a City law firm is the unpredictability of the hours but as purplepaint says, that depends on your area of practice.

Thanks so much for all the posts. Much appreciated. It would definitely be more bearable if I could work from home one day a week. I might be able to get my head around it then ( struggling at the moment as 3 days to 5 feels like a big jump.)

I will be able to do drop offs so at least I will be able to have some contact with the school I guess. I would have to get my head around not doing any playdates - I like a cuppa and a natter! We'd have to get a nanny to do pick ups etc as no family near.

Cottoncandy - thanks for the 80% info, I didn't know that firms did this and it's definitely something to speak to them about.

Purplepaint - Real estate is my area.

I can't really offer any advice (other than to share your 'pain' at being marginalised - I'm 11yrs PQE, 3 days a week, unlikely to be promoted even though I do work at a senior level, just because I'm "part-time"), but just wanted to ask if there is any possibility of delaying the decision for a few months?

I say that only because school really is a different scenario than nursery. Who would collect at 3/3.15 or whatever? My twins did pretty long days at nursery (8.30-5.30) so I thought they'd be fine with the school day (which finished at 3) but they were pooped. If you'll have a nanny then thats slightly different but if you're thinking of after school club or similar for 5 nights a week, I'd have thought you might have a tough time with 2 x over tired 4yr olds! I also think as they get older (my twins are 8) there are lots of after school activities - brownies / beavers / playdates / swimming / school clubs which they tend to miss if they're in after school club (mine go to after school 3 nights a week and they do miss out on some things simply because I can't get back in time to drop them off at 5.30pm or whatever).

If you can make the decision in 2 or 3 months time when you know how the school routine might work and how they'd cope with you being at work 5 days, that might be a sensible way of taking it forward?

Apart from your current job in 3 days a week and the city one on 5 days, are there other options? Could you spread your current job over 5 days and do all of the pickups? Do you have other contacts it would be worth following up with?

You should certainly explore with the firm. I'd want to know a lot more about the sort of work you would be doing, how transactional based, how much it is just you versus part of a team etc. should I've you am insight as to how steady the work would be rather than up and down.

I'd also want to explore work allocation. The clients won't know you and your recent experience may not be that valued. What PQE would they consider you at for purposes of pay and delegation? You may find the juniors getting better work may creep in again.

Annualised hours might be something to consider - essentially full time for most of the year but extra leave available.