Five Tips for Working Moms to Maintain a Work-Life Balance

In late 2013, I gave birth to my first daughter. It was during my maternity leave that I learned I was to become a partner at my firm. Just a few weeks after I returned from maternity leave, it became official. I was back to work with a new sense of responsibility in the office and a whole new set of responsibilities at home. Less than a year and a half later, I gave birth to my second daughter. The responsibilities and obligations at home grew and so did the pressure. I have been on a journey the last three years to find that delicate balance between being super-lawyer and super-mom. And it’s still a work in progress! I am far from an expert—and I doubt there is anyone out there with all the answers. But as I continue to work on my own work-life balance, I have five tips to share that should help any mom and lawyer as she navigates motherhood and the legal profession.

Tip 1: Do consider a firm’s culture when you join, even if you don’t have kids yet.

There is a lot to consider when you join a firm—salary, benefits, billable hour requirements just to name a few. Even if you are not a mother now or planning imminently to become a mother, if it is something you are considering for the future, you should always think ahead and look at a firm’s culture and attitude towards family when you are interviewing for a job. When I interviewed at my firm, I was years away from marriage and motherhood, yet I appreciated not only what I perceived as a collegial atmosphere but also an attitude of appreciation and respect towards family. For example, I learned during the interview process that the firm holds a holiday party every year for everyone at the firm and their families. Both attorneys and support staff attend this event each year with their spouses or significant others, as well as their children and grandchildren. That inclusion was a sign to me of the importance of family to the firm’s partners. Now, after years of attending such events and watching others’ families grow and their children grow up, I am able to bring my daughters with me to join in the festivities. Pay attention to things like this when you are picking a firm to join—it can often be just as telling about the attitude towards family and motherhood as information about the firm’s maternity leave policy.

Tip 2: Do not try to plan a pregnancy around your workload or partnership track.