Corporate Counsel Work/Life Report Coming Soon

PAR recently closed its survey portion of the 2011 Corporate Counsel Work/Life Study. The report, which will be released early next year, follows up on PAR’s 2003 study, Better on Balance? The Corporate Counsel Work/Life Report, and examines push and pull factors for going in house, characteristics of in-house work that affect work/life balance, work/life policies, and the career ladder.

This summer, PAR Diversity & Flexibility Connection Member Laura Stein, Senior Vice President and General Counsel at The Clorox Company, cited preliminary findings from the study in her article, “Value Comes from Better Work-Life Balance,” published in the ACC Docket. Stein argued that leaders in the legal profession need to shift their focus from hours work to value created and that the “value movement” suggests that the legal profession needs to deploy a greater array of legal talent. This requires non-stigmatized work/life balance. She pointed to the report’s preliminary results showing that men and women are equally likely to use work/life policies such as telecommuting and compressed work week and in-house attorneys whose companies have work/life policies in place report greater satisfaction with their professional opportunities. Most importantly, they are less likely to leave their companies within the next five years.

Member Best Practices

The Walmart Legal Department has been a vocal and active participant in PAR’s Diversity & Flexibility Connection, committing to referring work to balanced hours lawyers, signaling support for flexible work, and effective implementation of their own commitment to diversity and flexibility.

At last fall’s Walmart Legal SuperConference, over 1000 of Walmart’s outside lawyers participated in two days of programming, the majority of which centered around diversity, inclusion, and flexible work. The conference sessions provided concrete information and suggestions for making a more inclusive legal profession. Walmart highlighted its commitment to flexible work with its Recognition for Excellent Performance and Commitment to Work-Life Balance. Walmart honored Marci Rose Levine, the practice leader of PAR Member SNR Denton’s health care team. Marci has worked a balanced hours schedule for eight years, both as an associate and now as a partner. Marci provides outstanding legal service to Walmart’s Health & Wellness Team while also holding a leadership position in her firm. Walmart’s public acknowledgment of how well a balanced hours arrangement works for them is commendable. (Marci was one of our panelists at the November 9th Flex Success Conversation).

“Walmart understands the critical role that work-life balance plays in retaining and advancing women in the legal profession,” said Jeff Gearhart, Walmart’s Executive Vice President and General Counsel. “The law firms and attorneys who were recognized at our recent SuperConference have embraced the view that I and so many others share — allowing attorneys to work flexible schedules enables us to retain the best legal talent available.”

By looking internally, partnering with diversity organizations, and providing their outside counsel with expectations and tools for inclusion, Walmart Legal is expanding the conversation and helping ensure progress.

PAR Launches Flex Success Conversations

PAR recently launched a new series: Flex Success Conversations. The series features prominent general counsel, law firm leaders, and successful balanced hours lawyers in both law firms and legal departments in conversation with up-and-coming lawyers working reduced schedules. The conversations focus on strategic career moves and careful avoidance of obstacles to propel balanced hours lawyers to the top of the legal profession. Drawing on lessons learned from the Project for Attorney Retention’s extensive research and work with successful part-time lawyers, each conversation will discuss how part-time lawyers can proactively manage their careers and how employers can help them succeed.

The series previewed with a member teleconference on September 22: Starting the Flex Success Conversation: Winning Strategies and Inspiration for Balanced Hours Lawyers, featuring PAR Flex Success Winner Stacy Snowman, National Diversity & Inclusion Partner at DLA Piper, and PAR Co-Founder Cynthia Thomas Calvert. Cynthia highlighted how to plan and negotiate a balanced hours schedule, provided tools for making the schedule work, and how to position oneself for advancement. Stacy told her personal story of unexpectedly taking on a balanced hours schedule and the success she has had in career. She emphasized flexibility at home and at work and advocacy for herself and the flexible work program in general.

We launched our conversations with Flex Success: Advancing Balanced Hours Lawyers on November 9, 2011 at the offices of Hogan Lovells US LLP in Washington DC. See the “Highlights” below for more information on this successful event

Highlights from PAR’s Flex Success Conversation “Advancing Balanced Hours Lawyers”

PAR’s inaugural Flex Success Conversation last month was full of strategies for organizational change and individual success under balanced hours programs. The program was well-attended by reduced hours lawyers from firms and in-house, as well as law firm and legal department leaders and managers interested in success for lawyers working on flexible schedules. Here are some highlights:

The first panel focused on how to engage clients and law firm leaders in the conversation about success as flexible work attorneys. Emily Yinger, Regional Managing Partner (Hogan Lovells US), Kenneth Grady, General Counsel (Wolverine Worldwide), Kerry Kotouc, General Counsel, Corporate Affairs/Government Relations (Walmart Stores), and Benjamin Wilson, Managing Principal (Beveridge & Diamond) described how they set the tone both in their organizations and as proponent of advancement of women in law firms, how they signal support for balanced hours, and how they have overcome obstacles. Some takeaways:

• Having a strong balanced hours policy is a great start, but it needs to be followed up with strong signs of support and re-assurance from firm leaders and clients.
• In-house lawyers can advocate for their valued outside counsel.
• Clients and law firm lawyers need to communicate about what is important to them and put together agreed-upon metrics to measure success.

The second panel presented strategies for career advancement on balanced hours schedules from successful part-time partners Eve Howard (Hogan Lovells US), Marci Rose Levine (SNR Denton), and Christopher Rhee (Arnold & Porter). Heidi Chen, Assistant General Counsel (Pfizer) rounded out the panel with the client’s perspective. Some takeaways:

• Business is global and virtual, so flexibility is a natural fit in that environment.
• Balanced hours need to be looked at on an annualized basis. Working a reduced schedule requires flexibility on behalf of the firm and the attorney.
• A key to success is to make yourself an indispensible part of the team; when you are involved with firm management, you show your strong firm ties.
• All lawyers need to carve out time for business development, firm duties, and other personal interests.

Before ending the day with a networking reception, U.S. Department of Labor Women’s Bureau Director Sara Manzano-Diaz gave a keynote speech which emphasized that issues of workplace flexibility now have a national platform. She also noted that technology is changing the way we work, enabling flexibility in when, how, and where we work.

Emily Yinger, Hogan Lovells’ Regional Managing Partner stated, “We were delighted to welcome such an accomplished group of in-house and outside counsel to Hogan Lovells to discuss an issue that is vital to attorney retention. The panels were lively and enlightening and demonstrated that the group is dedicated to providing exceptional service to clients. It’s refreshing to share best practices and to see successful attorney-client partnerships that thrive with lawyers utilizing flexible schedules.”

Many thanks to Hogan Lovells US LLP for hosting the Flex Success Conversation in its D.C. offices. We appreciate their help in making this inaugural event so successful. PAR Flex Success Conversations will continue with programs in different areas throughout the country. We hope you will join us.