Stay-at-home moms return to law practice with help of training program, internships
After years away from law practice, it isn’t easy to return to a legal career, especially in the midst of a difficult economy.
But Pace University has helped about half of those who completed an 11-week training session and an 11-week internship over the past five years re-enter the legal workforce, the New York Times (reg. req.) reports.
Its article tells the story of three women, all stay-at-home moms, who said they were able to find paid jobs in practice as a result of the boost they got from the Pace program. The women, all in their mid-50s, now work as an in-house counsel for an international bank; as an in-house counsel at a nonprofit; and as a staff attorney for a BigLaw firm, respectively.
Jeannette Rossoff, 56, tells the newspaper she didn’t consider trying to pick up where she left off—as a corporate associate for a BigLaw firm—since she knew she doesn’t want to work all night on client matters. Although she got her current in-house position at the New York eHealth Collaborative through her own networking efforts, the 1983 Boston University law grad credits her Pace experience for providing her with information she needed to negotiate her salary and job title.
Asked whether her age made it harder to get the job, she told the Times: “I actually think it helped. As a general counsel, a lot of what I do is giving advice. I’m not just some young bright kid, I can make judgments based on a lifetime of experiences.”
Hat tip: Above the Law.
Related coverage:
ABAJournal.com: “After 17 Years as a Stay-at-Home Mom & Contract Lawyer, Amy Beckett Lands a New Job”
