Lawyers seek more work-life balance; firms accommodate them

By Péralte C. Paul

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

By day, Katie Birmingham is all about her inner foodie, as chef-owner of  her Atlanta  eatery, Noon Midtown. By night, Birmingham's a barrister for Counsel on Call, a law firm that gives its network of lawyers the choice to take on as much or as little legal work as desired.

Though she loves the law and has practiced since 2003, Birmingham loves cooking just as much, and left the big Atlanta firm Kilpatrick Stockton in 2008 to have the flexibility to do both.

"Cooking is such a strong passion for me; it always has been," she said. The flexible scheduling with Counsel on Call "gives you a little bit more control over your time and, as a consequence, more control of your life."

As a new wave of younger lawyers has hit the workforce, law firms have adjusted their operations slightly to provide more of the work-life balance they seek.

The newcomers have a new set of expectations and definitions of success. Though they're just as dedicated and hardworking as their predecessors, not all of new attorneys define success as making partner in the requisite six to eight years.  Some want to take longer, others are not interested at all, law firms say.

The shift, which has occurred in the last five years, is part of a larger whirlwind stirring up the industry.

"The legal profession right now is changing so much. First, there are fewer jobs now in the industry. Second, you have a squeeze on rates, which makes it hard to bill a premium on associates," said Stephen M. Paskoff, an attorney, founder and president of ELI, an Atlanta-based employer consulting firm that specializes in harassment, wage and hour compliance and other workplace training. "I do think there's a greater appreciation for diversity."

Part of that diversity appreciation comes from a realization by law firms they risk losing good lawyers by holding on to rigid standards. "For today's people coming fresh out of law school, it's not at all unusual for them to talk to you about their desire to have balance of life," said Roger Quillen, chairman and managing partner of Fisher & Phillips, a national labor and employment law firm based in Atlanta.

One lawyer took seven months off to do intensive backpacking and mountain climbing, a life ambition, Quillen said. "We did accommodate that and gave him the freedom to come back and pick up where he left off."

Andria Lure Ryan, a partner at Fisher & Phillips, works on a reduced schedule. As a single mom, she's juggling her kids' wrestling, softball and volleyball practices and games and other activities. She's wired, though, so whether she's in the office or at her youngest daughter's softball game, she's never more than a iPhone "beep" away. "If I’m not responsive to my clients when they need me to be, then I’m going to lose my clients."

There is a trade-off: Ryan earns roughly 25 percent less than her peer partners who do not work a reduced schedule, but she saidit's worth it.

"I have had a variety of work schedules. I've had partial weeks and partial days; I've had reduced hours," she said. "I work my own schedule. I'm responsive to my clients and service the firm's clients. I set it."

Giving associates more flexibility has changed how firms measure productivity and gauge professional growth, Quillen said. It's a stark change from the old days.

"There's no denying that there was a stigma as being the person who didn't make the jump (to partner) at the same time as his classmates," he said. "I think most firms are becoming much more qualitative in their analysis. What we see is more attention to the individual progress of the person."

Traditionally, such adjustments would be made for female attorneys who were having children or both male and female lawyers needing time to care for ailing parents.

With more lawyers seeking time do engage in activities beyond familial obligations, more firms are formalizing leave policies tailored for that.

"A couple of generations ago, it was unheard of for you to think you could be an effective lawyer and work reduced hours. It's no longer," said Vanessa E. Goggans, human resources partner at Morris, Manning Martin in Atlanta.

The firm instituted its leave and reduced work schedule policy in 2008, as a result of requests from associates and partners.

"We don't want to lose talented people. It's worth it for us to change our model in order to accommodate them," Goggans said. "It's not a big part of our marketing strategy, but we recognize it's something we need to do."

Case in point:  Kevin J. Wright, an associate at Morris, Manning in the firm's corporate, securities and real estate capital markets practices.

Earlier this year, he took 11 weeks off to get his pilot's license, a lifelong ambition.

"When you have good talent, you don't want to risk it by being inflexible," Goggans said.

"People in my generation are a little less bound by a specific mold," said Wright, who is who is on the partnership track and will be eligible to become partner next year. "For me, flying is an excellent release. It allows me to escape and come back. It's something else to focus on that I enjoy."