Quick. What’s the first response that comes to mind if your kid asked your opinion (stop laughing) on what was the worst career choice if she wanted good work-life balance?

Law.

Hands down, the horror stories of 80+ hour-work-weeks-that-don’t-end-when-you-make-partner cultures are legion.

But it looks like that’s slowly changing—changes being forced on an industry that desperately wants to keep some of its best and brightest.

Women.

You see, women haven’t been working long enough to be brain-washed into believing that the only thing of value in life is their career, so as life happens in a career that allows almost no time for life they revolted.

Revolted using their feet to leave the halls of legal power for kinder, gentler, saner workplaces.

And it hurt. Hurt in the only way that really mattered; hurt the bottom line.

“”It costs a law firm between $200,000 and $500,000 to lose a second-year associate,” Deborah Epstein Henry, founder of Flex-Time Lawyers LLC, said of the investment made in salary and training before a lawyer starts bringing in business.”

Those numbers have enough zeros to catch even a lawyer’s attention. And when you factor in the number who leave you really start adding zeros to the figure.

“About 42% of women leave the profession in mid-career, and many others defect to government or corporate jobs with more manageable hours.”

As women pushed men joined in.

According to Patricia K. Gillette, a partner in employment law at San Francisco-based Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe,

“What has happened is that Generation Y has aligned themselves with issues that have traditionally been women’s issues — both men and women,” she said of the under-30 crowd. “And you know how it goes when men start wanting things. All of a sudden it looks normal.”

Now, don’t get the idea that this is some kind of universal awakening, but a few large firms have figured it out.

“In pursuit of better economics and diversity, firms have introduced such things as longer maternity leaves, on-site day care and the option of working shorter hours.”

Still, you may want to hold off suggesting law until your grand kids ask.

Image credit: LeoSynapse CC license

This entry was posted on Thursday, October 2nd, 2008 at 5:00 am and is filed under Communication, Culture, Hiring, Motivation, Retention. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
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