22 Tweets Roundtable: Work / Life Balance

Welcome to the first 22 Tweets Roundtable, where we tweet with 5 lawyers and legal professionals around a single theme

Today we ask our panelists 12 thought-provoking questions on work / life balance provided by the law students at WVU

We’re very pleased that @beckyandhollee –H @taxgirl @lisasolomon @jaynejuvan and @jayshep have joined us today

Welcome, all, and thank you very much for participating. I look forward to your perspective and insight. Let’s get started.

–

1.  What sacrifices have you had to make in balancing work life and family life? Do you regret them?

@lisasolomon: None. I love my career as an independent contract atty & developed my practice w/my personal life goals in mind

@beckyandhollee: Sacrificed money and status to leave firm and join academia. Never missed the firm and love being there for my family.

@taxgirl: Sacrifice is a loaded word. But I’ve def made choices that slowed my career in favor of spending more time w family. No regrets.

@jaynejuvan: Thanks! We’ve faced perhaps the most severe economic downturn since Great Depression & are in the midst of a jobless recovery…

We have soldiers in harms way in Iraq and Afghanistan. I’m the fortunate one. I haven’t truly made sacrifices yet.

@jayshep: My wife (a working-mom lawyer) and I hurry home most nights early enough to have dinner with kids. Then work late at home.

–

2.  What was the biggest hurdle you had to overcome in transitioning from law school to practicing law?

@beckyandhollee: Wish we’d learned more practical research and writing skills. That’s why I’m so tough on my students – they thank me later.

@taxgirl: You mean besides giving up my social life? Learning to be accountable to the client & firm for my time and choices.

In law school, you could work on a memo for weeks – that doesn’t happen in the real world.

@jaynejuvan: Not being able to jump directly from Law Review Editor-in-Chief to Managing Partner! …

Moving up through the ranks takes a certain amount of “grit” and hard work…

I try to pay my dues as others have, respect those more senior and persevere.

@jayshep: Trying to learn the business skills law school doesn’t teach: sales, marketing, management, organization. Law school prep? Fail

@lisasolomon: Gaining practical experience in nuts & bolts of practice

–

3.  How do you see the practice of law evolving over the next decade to allow greater work / life balance?

@taxgirl: The recession has forced many to work more for less. But it’s also intro’ed many to alts to being a billable hr slave.

@jaynejuvan: New technologies may allow greater work/life balance, but the level of responsiveness can’t change …

Client issues often do not arise between 9 and 5, but when our clients need us, we have to be there for them …

Prove your mettle, then ask for an accommodation if needed & work w/ colleagues to ensure clients’ interests are well-served.

@jayshep: Firms are going to have to kill the billable hour. We have. It’s the biggest hurdle to work-life balance, esp. for women

@lisasolomon: Growing popularity of small/solo firm practice & move away from billable hr 2 alternative billing

@beckyandhollee: Technology means freedom to work from anywhere. The downside is you’re always on call.

–

4.  What did you not learn in law school that you wish you would have? How can students get that knowledge?

@jaynejuvan: Market realities. School doesn’t teach agility. Anticipate change, reinvent yourself & act BEFORE a shift. http://tinyurl.com/5o4jva

@jayshep: Practical business skills. Law schools don’t understand that this is a business, not a priesthood. Students: work in biz.

@lisasolomon: Practice mgt skills. Press schools 2 offer those courses; in meantime, educate self by reading relevant bks/blogs

@beckyandhollee: The only test that matters is the bar!:)

@taxgirl: Being right doesn’t matter as much as doing the best job that you can for your clients. Those are often diff things.

–

5.  Turning the last question around, what skill acquired in law school was most helpful when you began practicing? Why?

@jayshep: Refining argument and persuasion skills. Everything we do involves trying to convince someone of something. It’s sales

@lisasolomon: Getting quickly to the heart of the issue & anticipating opposing arguments.

@beckyandhollee: Absolutely 100% writing. I became known as a go-to writer in a big firm and got good assignments early becuz of that skill.

@taxgirl: Editing my thoughts and thinking on my feet. It’s a fast paced profession and brevity can count for a lot.

@jaynejuvan: The art of persuasion and clarity, diligence and work ethic. I loved the challenge & the intellectual stimulation of law school!

–

6.  What was the most beneficial advice you received in law school? How did it help you?

@lisasolomon: I don’t remember any specific “advice” from law school re: succeeding in practice.

@beckyandhollee: If you’re nervous, don’t show it. Find a game day face and wear it. BigLaw can be macho, even though I’m not really tough.

@taxgirl: Tax prof said: do what you love. My lowest grade in law school was in a tax class. She convinced me not to give up. She was right.

@jaynejuvan: A friend reminded me as I was painstakingly cite-checking a Law Review article at 2:00 a.m. that…

“everything comes to him who hustles while he waits.” T. Edison I still fondly ponder the dialog and the quote.

@jayshep: Best law school advice? “Say hi to Heidi. She’s in our section.” Been married to her 13 years with 2 beautiful daughters. FTW

–

7.  How are your clients influencing the evolution of work / life balance in your firm? Should they play a greater role?

@beckyandhollee: Academia is inherently flexible — no emergencies. -H

@taxgirl: Clients are important: they pay the bills. But you have to manage expectations and work smart. Nobody wants a burned out lawyer.

@jaynejuvan: Clients recognize diverse teams challenge assumptions, tend to be more creative & aren’t as likely 2 fall victim 2 group think…

In my experience, this causes firms to be more open-minded when crafting policies or making case-by-case decisions.

@jayshep: They’re not. We set limits, manage expectations. Serving clients’ best interests ≠ dropping everything else at their whims.

@lisasolomon: Not at all. That’s an internal firm matter that firm controls by, e.g., setting reasonable client expectations

–

8.  How many hours do you spend on work each week on average? Is that typical of your peers? Is stage of career a factor?

@taxgirl: I work very long hrs but I manage my time and I’ve learned to delegate. Legal work, I can pass on. Being a mom, not so much.

@jaynejuvan: Let’s just say that a friend asked for my bona fides when I said I was participating in a roundtable about work/life balance! …

I work long hours – it’s my choice (but many of my colleagues do as well) – and I hope that it won’t change anytime soon.

@jayshep: About 80 to 90 hrs/wk. For me, it’s more a function of running my own law firm than being a 16th-year lawyer

@lisasolomon: 60+. I have 2 businesses (law firm & coaching/consulting practice) & 1 w/my husb (gifts/cards for legal prof’ls)

@beckyandhollee: Probably 40-60, in chunks, if I count my blogging and writingLots of early mornings, late nights, and w/kids mid-day.

–

9. Several of you have already answered this in some form or another, but how much personal satisfaction do you get from your job?

@jaynejuvan: LOVE the intensity of a legal practice. Nothing beats heated negotiations & the minutes leading up 2 signing or closing a deal.

@jayshep: I love creating and growing a brand from scratch. I love helping companies run better. I hate worrying about $

@lisasolomon: Enormous. Work intellectually stimulating & my clients appreciate importance of my work 2 success of their cases

@beckyandhollee: I was born to be a legal writing professor. I have the best job — freedom to write, the fun of teaching, and time w/family.

@taxgirl: I love what I do. I don’t always love the profession – those are diff things. But my work is interesting, I work w great people.

I also love that my girls see that I’m valued and that I like my job. It’s imp to me that my girls know they can do anything.

–

10.  Where do you draw the line between your personal and professional lives?

@jayshep: Our firm rule is “Family comes first.” Work is to support our families, not the other way around.

@lisasolomon: Practically, it changes daily; philosophically, I believe in work/life integration http://twurl.nl/hyqokt

@beckyandhollee: It’s hard bcuz I often want to tweet or network during family time. I try to “chunk’ my time and turn off the computer.-H

My kids are very proud to say that both mommy and daddy (@johntemplebooks) are profs who write books. That matters to me. -H

@taxgirl: Sometimes it’s blurry since I practice w my husband. But we make it work. My kids have their own space at my office. And…

I’ve been known to take calls on the school playground. But when it’s family time, that’s an absolute: no work.

@jaynejuvan: I don’t draw a firm line. I’m always a lawyer, even when I’m not in the office. If my work concludes, I’ll attend kickboxing…

If I’m busy, I don’t fret about missing my workout. If it’s 11:00 p.m. and a client or colleague calls, I answer.

–

11.  What was the biggest challenge you faced when you graduated and started practicing?

@lisasolomon: I graduated in last legal recession (1993) & had no offer from my 2L summer. At NYU Law, that makes U untouchable

@beckyandhollee: I lacked confidence because I didn’t feel competent. Also worked in a cut-throat environment that was the wrong fit for me.

@taxgirl: That law wasn’t like it is on TV. I was neither as skinny or as well dressed as Ally McBeal.

Believe it or not, I had met only 1 lawyer in real life before going to law school…

@jaynejuvan: I learned victory would not come easy when a plaintiff’s lawyer refused to return repeated calls in a case we took pro bono…

We elevated the intensity ever so slightly by filing 14 counterclaims. She called us back – pronto! Empowering! MAGICAL, really!

@jayshep: Creating a successful career path from scratch that didn’t follow the conventional BigLaw model w/o someone to show me how

–

12. What honestly is the impact of having children on career progression? Are women the only ones to sacrifice? How can this change?

@beckyandhollee: Women make more sacrifices. We off-ramp and take detours. Re-entry plan is key. We talk re: this in our book & ABA J Column!

@taxgirl: Having kids def affects your career in the law. I was asked in my first 2 interviews if I was getting married and having kids.

Interestingly, though, folks tend to be more understanding of “mom time” than “dad time.” Just ask @jcerb

But I don’t think of it as a “sacrifice” – it’s not kids OR legal career. It’s about finding ways to make both work.

@jaynejuvan: Life events can impact career progression for all of us, but only if we let them. We can instead choose to stay on course…

Pursue your passion, stay focused on your path, and you’ll find you can excel even during the most difficult of circumstances.

@jayshep: Billable hours mean women must choose b/w kids & career. Working moms most effective at time mgmt. Why punish them?

@lisasolomon: Depends how it’s handled. I’ve seen some evid. of changes (e.g., more dads w/flex hrs or working from home)

–

Wow! Thank you so very much @beckyandhollee –H @taxgirl: @lisasolomon @jaynejuvan: and @jayshep: for your candor and insight today!

@lisasolomon: Many thx 2 @22twts, @lancegodard 4 asking me to participate, RTing my responses (Twitter search not indexing my tweets)

@beckyandhollee: My pleasure. My only regret is that the students did not save me any pizza.:) Seriously, it was great to be w/all of you.-H

@jayshep: Big thanks to WVU law students for their pizza-induced help. “Take me home, country roads …”

Special thanks to @lancegodard for being all about the 3 C’s of social media: connecting, contributing & community

@jaynejuvan: Thx 2 all RT @22twts: Wow! Thank you so much @beckyandhollee –H @taxgirl: @lisasolomon @jaynejuvan: and @jayshep: for candor & insight!

Filed under Twitterviews | Tags: Roundtable, Work / Life Balance | Comments Off on 22 Tweets Roundtable: Work / Life Balance