"Making Part-Time Work Work"

Originally appeared in TEXAS LAWYER

Kathleen J. Wu is a commercial real estate lawyer and managing partner of the Dallas office of Houston's Andrews & Kurth. Her e-mail address is kathleenwu@akllp.com. The views represented here are her own and do not represent those of the firm.

Copyright 1999, Texas Lawyer. All rights reserved.

It's As Much What You Expect As What You Do

Much of the frustration I hear from working mothers in the legal profession comes from the inherent family unfriendliness of their work schedules. If I could just work part time, they say, my life would be so much better.

Perhaps, but the life of a part-time/alternative schedule lawyer is rife with pitfalls that any lawyer considering such an option should take into account.

I have to admit that I've never taken the part-time path, so I don't speak from the standpoint of one who has personally been there. I do, however, speak as a supervisor of lawyers. And I know that having such lawyers working under me requires a fair bit of juggling and patience.

That being said, it can be a rewarding option for lawyers - men or women - who want to scale back from 70 hours a week to 40 or fewer. Caveat: in the legal profession, "part-time" can mean what "full-time" means to the rest of the world. A 40-hour workweek isn't unheard of for so-called part-timers.

When I use the phrase "part time," it encompasses the whole range of "alternative" work options, from contract work to a schedule that is only slightly more forgiving than the long hours most lawyers regularly put in. While some lawyers have found such work to be a godsend, allowing them to keep their sanity and a decent income while also maintaining a presence in the work world, others have complained that it ultimately harmed their careers.

Priorities

From where I sit, making such an arrangement work relies as much on what you do as what you expect. I present, therefore, my highly unscientific guide to working part time:

First, prove your worth: Particularly if you are approaching a current employer with a request to work part time, make sure that the reaction is going to be "I'd rather have half of you than none of you." I'll bend over backward to make an arrangement work if the lawyer who's asking me to accommodate her has a proven track record. If you're not sure you're all that valuable to the firm, don't expect to get a go-ahead to a part-time schedule. And when you're asking, don't make it an ultimatum. The "it's part-time or else" approach is likely to elicit a "don't let the door hit you" response.

Determine if your practice can accommodate such an arrangement: Transactional work, in general, isn't as friendly to part-time options as, say, trust and estates. Sure, the occasional estate-planning session can wear out even the most dedicated workaholic. But transactional work tends to be, day in and day out, more "emergency intensive" and, thus, less hospitable to lawyers seeking to leave at a decent hour each day. There are obviously exceptions to this rule, but the point is that some practices can tolerate part-timers better than others.

Make it work: The onus is on you, not your employer, to make the part-time arrangement work. If you can't at least occasionally take some work home, or stay past your designated hours when an emergency calls, don't expect your employer to tolerate the situation for long. Consider checking your voice mail after business hours, and, above all, don't compromise the quality of your work just because you don't eat, sleep and breathe your job 70 hours a week.

Every second counts: If you aren't already a master at time management, become one. When you're only in the office part time, there's less time for socializing or, for that matter, doing work that is anything less than masterfully efficient. You may find that you get as much done as you did before because you're not schmoozing with co-workers or getting bogged down in other time-wasters. If that's the case, don't expect your boss to complain that you aren't there 70 hours a week.

Accept your role in the firm: Because you aren't spending as much time getting to know your colleagues, know that you might not be considered as much a member of the "team" as those who are there until the wee hours. Particularly at large firms, where co-workers develop a sort of foxhole camaraderie, you probably won't feel like one of the gang. For many people, that's fine. For others, however, it can suck the joy out of going to work. Know which one of those people you are.

Work Hours Cut

Choose the right firm: Though some large firms gladly accommodate part-timers, others shun them (often to their detriment, because those part-timers often return to the fold to become extremely loyal, competent and profitable full-timers). If you're looking to cut your work hours, a small firm may be more hospitable. Because the ebb and flow of work assignments takes more of a toll on small firms, they may be more likely to take on an employee who won't be a burden once the work slows down.

Adjust your expectations: Perhaps the most important element in making a part-time option work is your own mind-set. You're probably not going to get the same level of work assignments (they'll be more routine tasks that don't require a long-term commitment to the project). It's doubtful you'll have much client contact. You probably won't make partner at the same time as your law school classmates, although there are obviously exceptions to this rule. That's not discrimination. That's reality. If you're expecting to advance at the same rate as your peers, quit deluding yourself. Chances are, you're going to be quite a ways behind them. Again, for some people, that's quite low on their priority list. For others, it can be a deal breaker.

For those women and men looking to strike a balance between home and work, particularly those who would like to see their children before they graduate from high school, part-time work may not exactly be the key to a successful career. But it can help stave off a nervous breakdown.