Part-Time Partners: A Notable Trend in the Legal Profession

by Anna T. Collins, Esquire (Portland, Maine)

When it comes to statistics about part-time attorneys, it is impossible to deny two findings: working part-time is an option few take and the majority of those who do are women. According to the latest figures compiled by the National Association for Law Placement, 5.6 percent of U.S. attorneys work part-time, and about 74 percent of them are women. It is also hard to deny that traditionally, women attorneys who work part-time find themselves losing traction when it comes to their salaries and promotion. Yet, these statistics and assumptions tell only part of the story. Over the last decade some law firms have adopted more progressive policies which permit part-time women to not only retain respect for their work, but to make partner. The policies of these firms and the experiences of these part-time partners provide valuable insight into how work/life balance can be achieved despite dedication to profitability.

The task of developing a part-time work policy that makes sense for both firm and attorneys is difficult, especially when the policy aims to ensure that part-time lawyers can be successful and prosperous attorneys. Liana Moore, a newly-elected partner at the Massachusetts firm of Bowditch & Dewey, LLP, explains that her firm was fortunate to have a number of strong women leaders driving the effort to create such a policy. One such woman was Lauren Rikleen, Executive Director of the Bowditch Institute for Women’s Success and author of the book Ending the Gauntlet: Removing Barriers to Women’s Success in the Law. In light of such strong leadership, it is not surprisingly that once the policy was developed and approved, Bowditch & Dewey, LLC embraced the policy, gradually infusing its partnership ranks with women working part-time.

In fact, Marisa Pizzi, another part-time attorney who was just elected as partner, reports that it was fairly easy for her to negotiate a part-time arrangement at Bowditch & Dewey, LLC. Pizzi first approached the two partners with whom she primarily worked. “I wanted to be sure that the people whom my schedule would affect the most,” Pizzi explains “had an opportunity to talk to me about it and voice any concerns.” After finding out that both partners were extremely supportive, she submitted a formal application seeking to work one day from home and one day off. Her application was accepted shortly thereafter without any modification.

Once female attorneys are working part-time, a successful transition to partnership requires constant self-analysis. Moore, who has been working part-time for several years, believes such analysis is necessary to determine which work arrangement is best for work/life balance. “I have been working a part-time schedule since May, 2004. I just made partner this year,” Moore explains “I have three children ages 5 and under, so I am not sure when I will return to full-time status; it’s a decision I look at day by day, carefully weighing and balancing the needs of my family against my career goals, attempting never to disappoint anyone, including myself.”

Moore highlights how she addressed the challenge of translating standards for full-time employees into the working life of an attorney on a part-time schedule. As a part-time attorney, Moore felt as though she had more to prove, carrying the burden of one of the few attorneys striving to succeed both at work and at home on a part-time basis. “I had to train myself,” Moore explains “to not let my appreciation for the firm’s flexible work arrangement deceive me into thinking that I didn’t deserve what I was working as hard as any full-time attorney to achieve – partnership.”

Moore also did not let the lack of clarity and direction as to part-time partnership standards become an obstacle to her success. “I focused my efforts on becoming a partner by developing stronger client relationships,” Moore shares “and making sure the value of those relationships was visible to my colleagues.” Marisa Pizzi agrees that focusing on client relationships is vital to becoming a part-time partner. When she started working part-time, Pizzi worked hard to meet her billable hour requirements and made as much time for business development as her schedule would allow. “My primary focus was to make sure that the clients I was servicing were unaffected by my schedule change and remained satisfied with my work,” she explains “I also increased my involvement in firm administration and in the community. Essentially, I did the same things I would have done if I were full-time, but just on a modified schedule and with less time at my disposal.”

The experiences of Moore and Pizzi highlight how important it is for part-time women to focus on performance. As Rikleen explains, “it is important to point out that part of [these women’s success] was in recognizing that there is an inherent ambiguity in the partnership election process and nonetheless working through that ambiguity to successfully be elected.” According to Rikleen, that ambiguity is “the result of subjective judgments that people make about performance, client development potential, and a host of other factors that complicate the partnership election process.”

Rikleen believes that what these women did, in many respects, is a blueprint for success. When asked about Moore’s partnership path, for example, Rikleen comments that “she did excellent work, made herself visible to her colleagues and her clients, and persevered, even when she questioned whether the result she wanted was possible.” In addition, Rikleen highlights that “throughout, Moore maintained her reduced-hours schedule, being flexible when it was necessary, but also knowing that the firm had in place the support mechanisms she would need if problems did arise.”

The most remarkable aspect of the partnership election of these women, Rikleen believes, is that at no time was their part-time schedule even raised as an issue for consideration. The lack of such focus for the purpose of partnership election is a remarkable achievement that reflects well not only on their firm, but also on these women’s talents as attorneys. Perhaps by considering further these women’s strategy of leadership, self-analysis, and focus upon performance, women working part-time and their firms can continue the exciting trend of part-time partners.