As burnout pervades law firms, associates continue to flee to virtual firms or in-house roles where the grass seems to be greener. But for those who hold tight to law firm partnership aspirations, reduced-hour programs are gaining traction.

"I think this is the wave of the future," said Sarah Van Steenburg, a managing director at Major, Lindsey & Africa who has seen a significant uptick in requests for part-time options from high-performers in the last six to nine months.

"With the pandemic and Zoom, the walls of separation came down," she continued. "There's more openness. People are more comfortable showing the messiness and the tiredness and asking for something different."