Mother of invention

Motherhood and part-time working are no bar to a top-level career.

Law firms just have to take steps to accommodate staff, writes Deborah Evans

The Gazette recently reported that many woman find their legal career paths blocked on venturing into motherhood (see [2001] Gazette, 11 May, 1).

However, I was recruited to my firm as practice director while pregnant; three years later I won one of the Birmingham Young Professional of the Year awards in recognition of my management skills - again while pregnant.But my firm is unusual in having part-time staff at all levels, including the partnership.

Flexible working arrangements and a commitment to a manageable working week have enabled the practice to grow by 60% in three years.

For any firm this would be a sensible business decision, enabling recruitment of quality candidates who want a balanced working life.

Staff retention is higher than expected.

Part-time workers' contribution far outweighs their hours, improving productivity.Many clients have introduced flexible working for their staff and expect the same from suppliers.

Few client relationships break during a solicitor's holidays - so why do firms expect a part-time arrangement to be so catastrophic?Women often prefer to work shorter hours for five days, to fit in with school hours.

This works well for some clients, with responses available within a few hours.

Solicitors doing court work find that three or four full days a week offer the flexibility to meet the court timetable.Maternity leave can be another concern.

Critical team size is the key - spreading work over four fee earners will enable the caseload to be managed without locums.

Fee earners can be rewarded with discretionary bonuses.

Where possible, the firm proactively recruits - giving the existing caseload to a new joiner while building up a further caseload for the returner.

Clients need to know who will handle their cases, so a formal meeting to introduce the new fee earner is essential.Flexibility with the member of staff pays - offering women part-time work for the last month of their pregnancy enables them to work longer without becoming overly tired - benefiting the individual and the firm.

Allowing new mothers to increase their hours incrementally to full time allows both caseloads and childcare to become established.Another argument often voiced is that a working mother is a poor substitute for a working man and is less deserving of partnership.

This argument stems from the fact that a mother may do a 45-hour working week, while the man does 60 hours.

This may be true, but it should not be a bar to partnership as most reward schemes are profit-based.But why use this argument solely against working mothers? Around any partnership table there will be a variety of working patterns and scales of commitment.

Often, partners working shorter hours deliver higher profits from their teams because they have learnt delegation and time management.

Being mother is irrelevant - efficient working practices, good leverage and productivity should dictate the reward.What about out-of-hours work commitments? Surely mothers will not want a heavy diary of evening engagements.

But then many lawyers of both sexes find socialising uncomfortable.

In practice, quality, not quantity is the key.

I choose carefully from invitations to be at the right place at the right time - one or two commitments a month keeps faces fresh and contacts up to date.

Lunchtime networking among peers and clients should not be underestimated.

Sensible logging of contacts with follow-up letters maximises opportunities.Women have an intrinsically different approach to work than men.

They have a particular ability to manage several tasks at once and also a natural tendency to nurture, making them excellent trainers and supervisors.

Women have a valuable role in the legal profession, and firms need to think laterally if they are to be satisfied in their role.

Why disillusion a significant proportion of the workforce? Replacing staff is expensive, time consuming, and unsettling for clients.Deborah Evans is practice director at Anthony Collins in Birmingham