Young Lawyers Q&A

A diverse panel of lawyers and other professionals from Schnader Harrison Segal & Lewis answers a few select questions in this recurring column, advising young lawyers about their career, professional development, office politics, business development, pro bono work, relationships with mentors and colleagues, and more.

Here is this month's Q&A on talking politics in the office, falling short of billable hours and concerns about taking parental leave.

Question #1: There is a lot of political talk in the office. I'm an outlier here in terms of political beliefs, but others assume things based on my background and include me in conversations that make me very uncomfortable. Should I speak my mind?

Osazenoriuwa Ebose: I would like to say you should always speak your mind; however, that is not how offices generally work. As you gain seniority, you might have more freedom to engage in political talk. However, I think everyone should always be concerned with the effect of his or her words on others.

Albert S. Dandridge III: Law offices, like every place else, are political environments. You did not get this far without a political antenna. Use it.

Laurel Gift: I look at it more like setting boundaries for yourself. If you do not enjoy political discussions, politely excuse yourself from the conversation.

Claudia Rayer: Definitely excuse yourself if you are uncomfortable with the conversation. But also, in a law office or even among friends we should not feel compelled to share every thought that comes into our minds. I know this is the age of Facebook and Twitter, but why does everyone feel it is so important to speak their mind?

David Robert Struwe: I agree it is probably best to avoid politics in the workplace, but if others bring you into their conversations then I think you should stand up for what you believe. Hopefully, your office embraces diverse viewpoints. Perhaps both you and the others might learn and grow from hearing about one another's perspectives.

Jonathan B. Skowron: If someone is being blatantly racist, sexist, etc., I think that should be called out, if not directly, then at least to someone you trust who is more senior. Otherwise, I have found it's best to keep political opinions to yourself until you've been around long enough for people to like you anyway.

Jonathan W. Hugg: Here's a different take. Political discussion is nonbillable. It's risky to take for granted the business side of the legal practice, and we won't always have the benefit of this late boom economy. To keep things in perspective, in the end we are all pretty lucky to have a job practicing law. Play the long game and ignore the drama.

Question #2: Halfway through 2019, I can see there's no way I will make my billable hours this year. It's hard for me to tell if this is happening firmwide or even for others in my practice areas. I feel in the dark and don't know what to do.

Gift: Ask for a meeting with your department chair. They will have access to billing statistics firmwide and can help you set reasonable goals for yourself. Your department chair will also be able to help find you work and let others know that you need hours.

Ebose: As a junior associate, I tend to also feel nervous about my hours. Your mentor, preferably a senior associate, may be able to tell you whether your work scarcity is a singular experience or reflected throughout the firm.

Skowron: Don't despair. You're likely only one or two “emergency” or “all-hands” emails away from making up that lost time. That said, if you're 100% sure you won't make your hours, then use the rest of your time productively: get involved in a good pro bono case, publish a few articles or get a few speaking engagements. Show you've been busy on other things.

Julie Meyers: Another way to productively use your “extra” time is to get to know the other attorneys in your office. Take them out for coffee or lunch and ask them about their cases. Mention that you have some time and would like the opportunity to work with them. Start with the busiest attorneys who may need the extra help.

Rayer: As you get feedback from others you trust, turn over every rock. Is this a firm-wide issue or just my practice area? Could this be a “me” issue where attorneys don't want to work with you? Ask the hard questions. Find out from the assigning attorney what's in the pipeline and how you can get involved.

Dandridge: If it takes you half-way through the year before you discover you may have an issue with hours, you have a problem. Ask for help to track your hours in real time and make the necessary adjustments.

Struwe: Personally, I work hard, do the work that I am assigned, and try to achieve good results. I hope the firm is pleased with the work that I do. But I do not really concern myself with the billable hours of others.

Question #3: I'm pregnant and want to take three months for parental leave when the baby arrives. I am worried it will adversely affect my future here. My husband, also a lawyer, has the same concerns about taking time off himself. What should we do?

Dandridge: I assume that your employer has a written policy for parental leave. If so, take full advantage of it. Lawyers are allowed to have families these days.

Rayer: As an HR professional, I'm sorry that as we approach the year 2020 this question is still a worry for new parents. If you were taking time for a hip replacement or appendicitis you probably wouldn't worry about how it would affect your future. Somehow, organizations grant parental leave but give young parents the impression that taking the leave will be bad for their futures.

Hugg: You must do what is right for your family, and taking time off should be your decision alone. That is the only way parental leave will lose the stigma you tacitly acknowledge it still bears, especially for men. Fortunately, we have come a long way from when I took just five days off when my son was born and a senior partner exclaimed to me, “It's not like YOU had the baby, is it?”

Skowron: As a man who has taken parental leave four times, I say take it and never look back, and tell your husband the same thing. You never get those days back. Also, a few weeks or months is nothing compared to the length of your entire career.

Ebose: I empathize greatly with your concerns. It's a shame that you and your husband work in offices that may not fully respect the difficulty and beauty of birth and adoption. I hope you can come up with creative solutions that allow for job security, but I think you must first determine what you're willing to give up and what you're not.

Struwe: Family is more important than work, and to the extent a firm or business would try to punish you for utilizing the maternity/paternity leave policy, that organization will have problems.

Gift: Family first. Take the leave you and your husband need. You will never reclaim time with your young child. The billable hours will be there when you return. If there are professional ramifications for taking time with your baby then you are likely not at the right firm.

Email your questions for next month's column to [email protected]. If selected, questions will be published anonymously; your name and firm/business name will not be published.

Schnader's Q&A panelists include: Albert S. Dandridge III (Philadelphia partner, 1978 law school graduate); Osazenoriuwa Ebose (Philadelphia associate, 2018 law school graduate); Laurel Gift (Pittsburgh partner, 2000 law school graduate); Jonathan W. Hugg (Philadelphia partner, 1994 law school graduate); Julie Meyers (chief marketing officer, 1986 law school graduate); Claudia Rayer (director of human resources); Jonathan B. Skowron (Pittsburgh associate, 2009 law school graduate); David Robert Struwe (Philadelphia associate, 2011 law school graduate).