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Part-time lawyers?

20 replies

Flick · 26/03/2003 09:58

Are there any lawyers out there who have managed to negotiate returning to work part-time or a job share? I am back at work full time in the city and am finding it really tough. Would love to hear from anyone who has experienced problems when asking for part-time or anyone who has become part-time. Anyone want to job share?!!!

OP posts:
Jimjams · 26/03/2003 10:44

I know someone who returned three days a week after the birth of her ds. This was to a city firm, but it was a nightmare as she was given crap work and came under a lot of billing pressure. Dhe left after the birth of dd.

Flick · 26/03/2003 10:47

At least she got to go back part-time - I didn't manage that unfortunately. Problem is that financially, I need to work as dh doesn't earn as much as me but would be good to have a better work/life balance. At the moment only see ds for about 2 hours a day at the most and in the evenings, he is usually grizzly because he is tired and needs to go to bed.

OP posts:
lisac · 26/03/2003 12:27

I work 4 days a week (originally a 9 day fortnight). I'm about to go on maternity leave again and intend to continue working 4 days a week when I return.

It is difficult to work part time in the field I'm in because I do a lot of transactional work. I have found that I need to be very flexible about my day off and certainly couldn't do without childcare for that day. I went through a period of doing at least some work on my day off (and often quite a lot), and I am sure this will continue when I return. I don't think there is a solution to this, it is just the nature of the job and one of the main reasons it is well paid.

There are quite a few lawyer mums at my firm who are part-time and this is I think a typical experience.

One thing which has made life a lot easier is to get the technical support - I can access my e-mails at home. This means I can work in the evenings after I have put DD to bed if (absolutely) necessary.

Sorry I can't be more help! One alternative could be to move to a smaller firm where there can be less time pressure? Or move from fee-earning to professional support (which can be very well paid but with much more regular hours)?

Neena · 26/03/2003 13:53

Had you though about working for the public sector? I work as a lawyer for a Government Depart. I work three days a week and they are very flexible when I need to leave early etc. Some mums here work at home as well. Pay may not be as good as the City but that is outweighed by the understanding attitude. It is hard working in the City - at the end of the day the client's needs must come first, let's face it they are paying enough!!

Claireandrich · 26/03/2003 20:12

My DH's colleague (solicitor) is currently pregnant and has arranged to go back 3 days a week, with the same job as before - just 2 days(ish) worth less. However, she thinks that she will have definitely given up all hopes of ever making partnership as a result.

Jimjams · 27/03/2003 19:31

I think Neena is right unfortunatley. DH used to work for a city firm but we began to find it really difficult. Our eldest son is autistic and then we had a baby. We had no family around and the commute meant dh was never around. We decided to move- he went to a good regional firm- still doing good work- and still required to do long hours, but now he can come home for lunch or get home for bathtime and then work afterwards... .. Our quality of life is much better and I think dh is enjoying the work more

pipsqueak · 27/03/2003 22:37

I work 2 days and 3 mornings in the public sector ( local authority). I ended up leaving private practice because I couldn't work part-time. Obviouly less money now but I love the work and no wretched billing hassle and I get to pick dds up from school/ nursery 3 times a week! I would definitely recommend it.

pipsqueak · 27/03/2003 22:38

I work 2 days and 3 mornings in the public sector ( local authority). I ended up leaving private practice because I couldn't work part-time. Obviouly less money now but I love the work and no wretched billing hassle and I get to pick dds up from school/ nursery 3 times a week! I would definitely recommend it.

pipsqueak · 27/03/2003 22:39

Ooops!

smokey · 27/03/2003 23:28

I returned to work part-time 3 days pw after having ds. Although I continued doing transactional work, it was not really of the same standard as before I went on maternity leave. The clients tended to be nicer though as mine were the ones who didn't demand instant service and didn't mind that I wasn't in every day!

After I had dd, I worked from home on a contract basis for a couple of firms and I got these jobs through a friend.

I now work part-time in a PSL type role 3 days a week. There are part-time jobs out there to be had - you just need to be a bit lucky to find them. Also, part-time in big City firms can mean 4 very long days a week (ie full-time in anyone else's terms).

Hope you find what you want.

kaz33 · 28/03/2003 14:22

My city firm is about to publish a firm wide policy on flexible working post the new legislation which comes into force on 6th April. My department has always been against part time working and refused in the past, though other departments allow it. It will be interesting to see if it changes now.

About to go on maternity leave and have asked about part time working, though hoping that they are going to let me go for a big pay off - actually quite likely as my department is going through some very hard times.

I'd love to jobshare !!

Flick · 28/03/2003 14:40

Hmm, I have just returned from maternity leave and was turned down for part-time on the basis that I was too junior...I don't think the new regs are going to make that much difference - they look rather woolly to me. Firms can pay lipservice to them but the reality is that there are ways around them.
Kaz - was also hoping for redundancy but didn't happen - what area are you in?

OP posts:
kaz33 · 28/03/2003 14:54

Flick

Commercial property.

How junior are you? In any event how does that affect the ability for you to work part time. If anything surely that makes it easier for other people to pick up your work if you are not in the office. Does your department have other staff working part time?

I do know that in the past my department has paid people off who requested part time working - they put in constructive dismissal claims.

Is it worth asking your personnel department whether they are producing a firm wide policy on flexible working ?

Certainly, I think it is worth speaking to an employment lawyer - you must have friends who have qualified in that area, about the best way to present your case in light of the new legislation.

If you put together a submission showing how it could work then they must consider it.

lisalisa · 31/03/2003 14:31

Message withdrawn

kaz33 · 31/03/2003 14:44

Ah well, Lisalisa you obviously don't work with the dinasours that are the partners in my department...

Cll · 31/03/2003 22:32

Two examples - though not me - my hubby's a corporate finance lawyer. One friend at his form went back on a nine day fortnight - banking law. She has had to keep full-time childcare cos sometimes it doesn't happen, but better than nothing. Another friend started off on nine day fortnight, went to four days, got hacked off with the hours and resigned only to be offered a three day a week job (one day at home) in a sort of marketing type, client liaison-y job? sorry don't have full details (she was also in banking law). She's really happy about that - is it something that might be poss for you? Incidentally you have my sympathy. I do think city law is hopeless at allowing for family life and they don't seem to be able to see how ridiculous it all is. My husband's never home...he blames the clients who expect 200% 24/7, but I just wish someone would occasionally say no... rant over...

lisalisa · 02/04/2003 15:55

Message withdrawn

kaz33 · 02/04/2003 16:59

Lisalisa - nope definitely not, unfortunately - otherwise I would be setting you up as an shining example of part time work !! No one here works properly part time so looks like I am set to be a torch bearer in my department.

Ah well, they haven't had the official request yet - so we'll see what they say !!

lisalisa · 02/04/2003 17:12

Message withdrawn

wiltshirelass · 03/04/2003 16:03

I worked for 9 years in one of the largest city firms. Mixture of transactional and regulatory stuff - mostly transactional in the boomtime. Had my dd when I was 4 years PQE and came back to work full time. However announced that on Fridays I was working at home, and this seemed to be accepted. Fridays I took calls from clients, worked when I needed to, had the day off when I didn't. I felt that instead of being paid for 4 days and working more, I would rather be paid for 5 days and work less if at all possible. By doing it that way I also didn't get labelled as a "part-timer". Then had ds at 6PQE and went back again on the same basis, but found it much less satisfactory. Actually there were quite a few banking and corporate partners who were trying to do various methods of flexitime - some took additional time off at the end of transactions, one took 9 weeks a year holiday instead of 6 to be around more in holidays, some tried to do 4 day weeks, none were really particularly successful or happy with it. Maybe it is easier now that the workload has generally gone down (although the pressure to perform has gone up).
A few of my peers went into PSL work, but that would have driven me mad (and bored most of them) and wouldn't have matched my ambitions.
Anyway, in the end I was within 2 months of my partnership decision, dreading going into work every day because I had just had enough, and a client made me a really interesting offer to join in an executive, non-legal role with a chunk of equity. I said "can't possibly" he said "why", I said "I'm going to make partner and THEN look for something I really want to do" and then realised how idiotic that was. So much to everyone's surprise, I set off on my new adventure. Now work 4 days a week, 2 of those days from home, haven't looked back and much to my surprise haven't missed the city or the firm for a second!
This is very long and probably not very helpful - but my main advice is to really think about what will work for you, then go to your partner and say "this is what I would like to do, this is why I think it would work, I would like you to let me try it for 4 months and then review it with you to see that both of us are happy". Make it very unreasonable for them not to do it on a trial basis.
In my opinion they don't want to hear about job shares, again, if you want to do this, set it all up yourself, find someone who wants to do it, work out exactly how it will work, and then present it to them as something you would like to do for a trial period. Once you are doing your trial, they will realise that the world hasn't ended or alternatively they will try and get you to go back to how you were and if so, you will be in a much better position to judge whether you are willing to do so or not.
Best of luck! It is a killer, as I always say maintaining a career and a family is always one huge compromise.
Sorry this was so long

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