March 2001

Reduced-Hours Arrangements in Law Firms

By Beth Boland

The Women's Bar Association of Massachusetts recently released its far-ranging report on reduced-hours arrangements in law firms. The report, More Than Part-Time: The Effect of Reduced-Hours Arrangements on the Retention, Recruitment, and Success of Women Attor-neys in Law Firms, compiled data from 45 of the top 100 law firms in Massachusetts and survey responses from almost 250 women lawyers and found:

• Ninety percent of the respondents with a reduced-hour arrangement reported that their firm's willingness to allow them to work a reduced-hours schedule affected their decision to stay at the firm.
• Almost 40 percent of the women who left their firms for any reason between 1996 and 1998 reported that their firm's policies or approach toward reduced-hours arrangements affected their decision to leave. Thirty percent of these respondents had never actually worked part-time themselves.

The major sources of dissatisfaction reported by respondents working part-time included (1) a lack of institutional support from their law firms, (2) deterioration of professional relationships within their firms, and (3) disproportionate adverse career consequences, such as not being given challenging assignments or being taken off the "partner track."

What can you do to increase the likelihood that a reduced-hours arrangement will work for you? A few suggestions:

• Communicate clearly about whether you still wish to be considered for more challenging (and therefore more time-intensive) cases and deals as your schedule permits. Otherwise, it may be assumed that you are not interested.
• During your annual review, make sure your part-time arrangement is discussed directly and in depth.
• Don't sacrifice your external and internal professional development activities. They are just as important to your professional success as the hours you bill.
• If possible, arrange for back-up childcare when work emergencies arise on days you're not scheduled to work.

Copies of the report are available by contacting the Women's Bar Association of Massachusetts, 6 Beacon Street, Suite 915; Boston, MA 02108; 617/973-6666; director@ womensbar.org.

Beth Boland is a partner in the Boston office of Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo, P.C. and a past president of the Women's Bar Association of Massachusettes.

READY RESOURCES Living with the Law: Strategies to Avoid Burnout and Create Balance. 1996. PC #511-0379.
Life, Law and the Pursuit of Balance: A Lawyer's Guide to Quality of Life. 1997. PC #511-0377. Law Practice Management Section.
To order either title, contact the ABA Service Center at 800/285-2221 or visit www. abanet.org/lpm/catalog.