Breaking Boundaries: Unleashing the Power of Flexibility In Law Firms for Recruitment, Retention, Diversity and Client Expansion

Over the years, as opportunities for in house positions became available and I talked to my cohorts about their corporate jobs, I realized law firm life is actually more flexible than I had originally thought. While I had to plan around deadlines and hearings, bill my time, and sometimes stay up until 2:00 a.m. drafting a brief, no one made me arrive precisely at a certain time in the morning, or clock in or out for lunch, and it was possible to take off at 3:00 p.m. for an appointment or one of my children's sporting events, so long as I was responsive and got the work done. Corporate and in house jobs seemed to have more parameters around them — something I couldn't fathom.

As laptops and cell phones became more prolific, the flexibility increased — we could work at home or talk to a client while we were actually at the sports game. Some wouldn't call that flexible in that we had to be "on" at all hours of the day, but it at least did not tie us to the office. I realize some law firms may be different, but for me, that flexibility, where I was treated as a high-level professional, meant the world to me — and made me never want to leave my firm or firm life generally.