The COVID-19 Lockdown Is a Game Changer for Women in Law
Women say that the lockdown has legitimised remote working practices so that they are no longer "a female issue".
By Hannah Roberts / April 23, 2020
Changes in attitudes to remote working could pave the way for women to take on more senior roles.
For many years law firms have talked about adapting working practices and attitudes in order to better promote and retain women, but progress has been frustratingly slow. Now, however, a breakthrough might emerge in the unlikeliest of ways.
Female partners across the U.K. say that changes in attitudes towards remote working during the coronavirus lockdown could pave the way for them to take on more senior roles within their firms in the future.
Their reasoning? The reliability of video conference technology has surpassed so many expectations during this crisis, that it could limit the need for those in management to be away from home for as much time.
And with their male colleagues also reaping the rewards of working from home, women say that the practice has become "legitimised".
'A huge win for diversity'
Baker McKenzie partner Samantha Mobley says that "going forward, agile working will be seen as less of a female issue" and that "the working environment will just be a little more accommodating for women".
"People are now going to be more understanding and accommodating of people who do need to work from home. I think there's an aspect of needing to be in somebody else's shoes to understand how best to accommodate them and their needs."
One female partner working at a Magic Circle firm in London adds that management's newfound respect for remote working amounts to a "huge win for diversity", adding that in the future she may want to think about taking on a more global senior role.
"One of the downsides to those roles," she says, "is the amount of international travel you have to do. I know there are people who enjoy that aspect of the job, but it isn't really conducive to having a family." More acceptance of video conferencing to replace face-to-face meetings could dramatically lessen the time spent on the road.
Another senior female partner working at a U.S. firm said: "We see that there are people coming up through the ranks who are entirely conflicted, from either a time or a willingness perspective, to put all of their eggs in the 'work' basket, whether they be men or women. However, women are typically under significantly more pressure to juggle the pressures of family life.
"If there is a more accepting view of alternative working practices from management, I can see that one of the outcomes of the current situation would be that there may be an uptick in the number of women going for more senior roles."
'Remote working has gone from being tolerated, to being embraced'
Lawyers that had previously shunned technology and agile working practices have been forced to become experts on communicating virtually almost overnight. And a variety of partners in management roles say that not being able to go into the office has forced them to acknowledge that working from home can be just as productive as being in the office.
One male partner working in the London office of a top U.S. firm explains that while working from home was previously viewed, particularly by older lawyers, with "a bit of scepticism", now everything has changed "almost with the flick of a switch".
"Remote working has gone from being tolerated, to being embraced," he adds.
Another male partner, a practice head at a Magic Circle firm, says: "I've been talking to a lot of our global offices, and while I wouldn't say it's the same as being in the same room, it's pretty much the same," he says. "Now, when law firm management weighs up the costs of sending people overseas for meetings, they may decide that it makes sense to just make things a video call."
Mobley, a member of Baker McKenzie's London management committee, agrees with this, adding that she's seen little to no change in productivity and that her firm been able to operate "perfectly well" during the lockdown.
Parental benefits
But of course, it's not just women that would benefit from a change in attitudes. Lawyers across the board — both men and women — say anything that can allow for career progression while balancing personal needs and priorities is a step in the right direction.
'This isn't a gender thing. This is a parental thing.'
That could also include single parents and people who are carers for family members who may not be able to come into the office as much.
One male lawyer says: "This isn't a gender thing. This is a parental thing. It may be that women bear the brunt of the childcare, but that doesn't mean it exclusively affects women."
But it seems that top lawyers are sure of one thing: working practices will never return to the way they were before COVID-19.
As Baker McKenzie's Mobley says: "This is a terrible crisis and a very frightening time for everybody, but we will look back and realise that this crisis was a game changer in the way we run our businesses."