It is still true that a number of big-name law firms require new hires to work exceedingly long hours for at least the first five or so years of their careers. In fact, some areas of law always require attorneys to put in long hours. This is even more true of attorneys in private practice.
At the other end of the spectrum, however, you have part-time lawyers and legal professionals, many of whom work for themselves, from home, or how and when they want. The only thing left to determine is how you can become a prominent and respected attorney in your community while working on a part-time schedule.
In This Post:
The Reality of Parenthood as An Attorney
In the event that a practicing attorney decides to have children, there is the pressing question of how their kids will be raised. Will their children go to daycare weeks after birth, is there a relative that can care for the child in their parents’ absence, or will one of the parents act as the primary caretaker? Even for a gainfully employed attorney, childcare expenses can be difficult to manage. Just like law firm owners require online marketing to maintain their budgets, attorneys who also happen to be parents have to hedge their bets. Many legal professionals trust justlegalmarketing.com to keep the clients coming in regardless of the number of hours they put in a week.
Why Part-Time Hours Makes Sense for Some Lawyers
In some cases, working part-time as an attorney is very much ideal. If you travel a lot or even work abroad, part-time hours can be more than enough to sustain yourself. Lawyers might also be experts in other professional fields, such as medicine, technology, or biology. Said attorneys might split their time evenly between two fields. Part-time hours can also make sense if you have a disability, need to care for a sick relative, or otherwise want to take a break from the pressure of managing a full caseload all the time.
Being Honest with Yourself About Potential Career Track Limitations
Working from home on a part-time basis is fine if you are an attorney who wants to work for yourself. However, attempting to work as a state prosecutor or in the corporate law sector is pretty much impossible if you want to go down that route. Now, if you are getting closer to retirement or have been named as a managing partner at your firm, you can probably get a lot more leeway. But, in general, attorneys should only look to work part-time or otherwise independently if it suits their lifestyles as well as their long-term career goals.
Besides potentially making less money, working part-time as an attorney is not very different from working full-time hours. There will be the possibility of more flexibility and freedom, but working independently, from home, or part-time does not at all downplay skill or experience factors. You might actually get to be a bit more picky about the projects, cases, and clients that you take as a result of working on a more restricted basis.
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