About Us — About the Project for Attorney Retention
Deep and mutually respectful relationships with law firms and in-house counsel are PAR’s foundation. PAR’s hallmark is to provide high-quality academic research to produce pragmatic solutions to business needs. PAR’s best-practice balanced hours policy has long been the standard resource for law firms seeking to implement or upgrade their part-time programs. PAR literally “wrote the book” on how to correct performance evaluations for implicit bias, by rewriting the ABA Commission on Women’s Fair Measure: Toward Effective Attorney Evaluations. PAR’s research also offers models for how to design law-firm compensation systems to eliminate gender bias; how to design work-life programs in-house; how to design reduced hours programs for partners as well as associates; and how to shift away from lockstep compensation without jeopardizing diversity.
PAR has played a leadership role in linking gender equality with business mandates. Over a decade ago, PAR developed the business case for retaining women. Many law firms use PAR’s Attrition Costs Worksheet to build support for organizational change.
PAR has long been a thought leader with demonstrated success in engaging leaders in the profession. PAR’s Board includes recognized leaders both in law firms and corporate legal departments, and its widely heralded Diversity and Flexibility Connection brought together the general counsel of major companies with chairs of twelve influential law firms for a series of frank discussions of the challenges faced by both groups in achieving flexibility and diversity. Both groups signed onto a list of best practices, designed with the social science literature on the most effective levers of organizational change in mind.
PAR also offers annual conferences and programs as part of its comprehensive approach to increasing diversity and flexibility in the legal profession. The Hastings Leadership Academy for Women, the only executive education program designed specifically for women law firm partners (but open to all), has helped advance women into leadership positions, both within firms and as general counsel. PAR’s Opting Back In Program is the first, and the longest-running program in the country to help lawyers re-enter the profession after taking a break from professional life.
What are Balanced Hours?
"Balanced hours" programs, unlike traditional part-time programs, allow attorneys to work individually-tailored, reduced schedules that are designed to meet the firm’s business needs while maintaining the attorney’s ability to work and to develop professionally without stigma. Balanced hours programs involve active management of workloads in proportion to reduced hours, emphasize client service, and promote the values of the firm.
PAR’s co-founders, Joan Williams and Cynthia Thomas Calvert wrote Solving the Part-Time Puzzle: The Law Firm’s Guide to Balanced Hours (NALP, 2004), a book that provides a nuts and bolts discussion of how to set up and implement an effective part-time program that is designed to attract and retain top legal talent. A companion book for attorneys who are working or want to work reduced hours will also be published in 2011.
PAR’s research has resulted in a set of best practices for law firms and legal departments that want to have non-stigmatized balanced hour programs for more effective retention and recruitment.
