Page 5 - Top Women in the Law

Top Women in the Law
NYLJ
2016
Five Tips for Working Moms
To Maintain a Work-Life Balance
By Jennifer B. Zourigui
In late 2013, I gave birth to my rst daughter. It was during my maternity leave that I learned I was to become a partner at my rm. Just a few weeks after I returned from maternity leave, it became of cial. I was back to work with a new sense of responsibility in the of ce and a whole new set of responsibilities at home. Less than a year and a half lat- er, I gave birth to my second daugh- ter. The responsibilities and obliga- tions at home grew and so did the pressure. I have been on a journey the last three years to nd that deli- cate balance between being super- lawyer and super-mom. And it’s still a work in progress! I am far from an
expert—and I doubt there is anyone out there with all the answers. But as I continue to work on my own work-life balance, I have five tips to share that should help any mom and lawyer as she navigates moth- erhood and the legal profession.
Tip 1: Do consider a rm’s culture when you join, even if you don’t have kids yet.
There is a lot to consider when you join a firm—salary, benefits, billable hour requirements just to name a few. Even if you are not a mother now or planning imminently to become a mother, if it is some- thing you are considering for the future, you should always think ahead and look at a rm’s culture and attitude towards family when
you are interviewing for a job. When I interviewed at my firm, I was years away from marriage and motherhood, yet I appreciated not only what I perceived as a collegial atmosphere but also an attitude of appreciation and respect towards family. For example, I learned during the interview process that the rm holds a holiday party every year for everyone at the rm and their fami- lies. Both attorneys and support staff attend this event each year with their spouses or signi cant others, as well as their children and grandchildren. That inclusion was a sign to me of the importance of family to the rm’s partners. Now, after years of attend- ing such events and watching others’ families grow and their children grow up, I am able to bring my daughters with me to join in the festivities. Pay
attention to things like this when you are picking a firm to join—it can often be just as telling about the attitude towards family and motherhood as information about the firm’s maternity leave policy.
Tip 2: Do not try to plan a pregnancy around your work- load or partnership track.
Let’s face it—we are lawyers, we are strategic, and, yes, we are plan- ners. Naturally many of us would be inclined to plan a pregnancy for the most optimal time in both our personal and professional lives. But given the nature of our profession, if this is your plan, you may be setting yourself up for disappointment. How many times have you scheduled a vacation around a deal closing or
Jennifer B. Zourigui
(née Schain) is a partner at Ingram Yuzek Gainen Carroll & Bertolotti, practicing in the commercial litigation, labor & employment, and creditors’ rights groups.
a briefing schedule for a motion only to have things get shifted or adjourned? You could have gone after all! Don’t try to do the same with having children. When I was pregnant with my rst daughter, I had been working for several years on a case that was gear- » Page 4
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