Work/Life Balance
New Firm Resolves ‘Sunday Stomach’
Posted Sep 17, 2007 5:05 PM CST
By Martha Neil
Kevin Broyles once wanted to be a partner at a big-name law firm. But today he counts himself lucky to be able to leave his law office in time to coach Pee Wee football at 6:30 p.m.
"It's a matter of getting your priorities in order," Broyles, 36, tells the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "I rarely have to work past 5 or 6 o'clock."
The Harvard Law School graduate is one of a number of Generation X attorneys who willingly work fewer hours—and probably earn considerably less than they could make at a major law firm—in exchange for more time. Plus, that avoids the "Sunday stomach" that often preceded another week of big-firm work, Broyle says.
Meanwhile, although his hourly rate is lower at FSB Corporate Counsel, a firm he helped form, so is overhead. Hence, he takes home a higher percentage of his billings, which helps to balance out the pay differential.
Kimberly Verska, 38, is another FSB lawyer who finds the trade-off worthwhile. A former associate at Alston & Bird, where she worked part-time after the birth of her two children, she now bills fewer hours and has more time to spend with her family.
"Fifty to 60 hours a month," she says, "allows me to replace my former salary."
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Comments
Gen Xer
Sep 21, 2007 7:41 AM CST
When will law firms learn that the appeal to young lawyers is not always about the money? Quality of life is just as important, if not more so. The firms are missing out on good employees by not offering flexible schedules and part time work to lawyers with families and other priorities.
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Maria
Sep 21, 2007 7:56 AM CST
I was one of many senior female associates to leave my former law firm, because the prospect of becoming a partner and STILL having to put in 60, 70, 80 hour weeks was totally inconsistent with my plans to maintain a healthy marriage and family life. I think more firms need to find alternatives to the billable hour paradigm in order to avoid the high costs of losing talented and well-trained associates to in-house and government positions that offer more flexibility.
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TC
Sep 21, 2007 8:17 AM CST
Big firms have an issue with being very poorly managed businesses in most cases. The failure of the committee system of disjointed management to understand that employees (associates and partners) are actually humans who have needs outside of billing hours and making more money is a central pillar of the poor management. Most large businesses have some people who are in tune with the 21st century running them—much of that being in tune comes from being specialized business managers with MBAs and other BUSINESS MANAGEMENT TRAINING. Our industry suffers so much from failure to have properly trained management—training, staffing, hiring, financial management, marketing, etc. are all so behind the curve…..
What is the result? Among other ills, massive turnover of employees at about the time they actually become productive. I am yet to meet someone who has left a large law firm for any other type of business (other than gov’t) who says that large firms are better managed.
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Gen Yer
Sep 21, 2007 9:23 AM CST
I have been seeing a large amount of literature addressing the specific problems of billable hour demands versus maintaining a healthy, balanced lifestyle. Regardless, the senior partners at my firm refuse to acknowledge that a change is needed.
They see my generation as lazy and unmotivated whereas I see their generation through the eyes of a child who rarely saw my father during the week. For all his loyalthy and self-sacrifice, he received very little in return for his missed family time, cancelled vacations, and eventual heart problems.
With my generation, it is not about becoming rich. It is about being able to support a family in a comfortable lifestyle and the ability to enjoy that lifestyle with them.
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Tom
Sep 21, 2007 9:25 AM CST
As someone who didn’t graduate from Yale, I welcome the Tier I folks complaints about “making too much money.” Looks as if the opportunity is ripe those of us with Tier I work ethics to get paid.
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Tim
Sep 21, 2007 10:07 AM CST
I particularly appreciate the comment regarding reduced overhead. A smaller boutique shop (similar clients, similar rates) has overhead that is less than half what my AMLAW 100 firm’s overhead is ... as a junior partner I’m wondering why I’m killing myself covering someone else’s high overhead when I could work 400 hours less a year and still make more money. Hmmm….
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kathy
Sep 21, 2007 10:31 AM CST
I left a corporate inhouse position to start up my own boutique law firm. For me, the flexibility to work where and when you want cannot be beat. I now make all of my children’s sports activities. My clients are all corporate and don’t care where or when I work as long as I get the job done when I said I would. Plus, it takes less than 15 billable hours per month to cover my overhead. Having a low overhead allows me the time to focus on what’s really important.
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Li-Shann Durst
Sep 21, 2007 12:21 PM CST
As an attorney who has been a stay at home mom for the past few years, it is almost impossible to find substantive legal work on a part time basis. I find employers have no idea how dedicated and productive mothers returning to the market place can be when they strike the right balance between work and home. Incidentally, this formula also works for employees in general!
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Brian
Sep 22, 2007 7:43 AM CST
These firms are using the associates by playing on their fear of failure. The top tier law schools are just full of these types of people (insecure, needy, can’t exist without daily affirmations, etc.) and the big firms know it. Your work ethic is your work ethic, cradle to grave, but fear of losing will make people do crazy things (like work 80 hours a week). Don’t let them use you just so you can have a nice house to sleep in and a nice car to sit in your building’s garage all day.
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Boomer grad
Sep 24, 2007 9:55 AM CST
Raising entry-level salaries to $160,000/yr at a time with satisfaction with large firms is at an all-time low is an example of what not to do. Firms need to go back down to a comfortable salary at realistic billable hour requirements that would lead to retention of experienced associates. I would also suggest thinking outside the “hiring box” and consider hiring older, night-school graduates who are empty-nesters, able to hold down full-time jobs and successfully attend night law school at the same time. For them, a 60 hour week feels like a vacation, and flexibility is much less of an issue.
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