I recently read an interesting article on law.com – Big Law’s Working Parents Are Hurting. Money Is Not the Answer. The article discusses the struggle of practicing law while raising children during the pandemic.
As a legal recruiter who works with partners looking for a perfect fit law firm, one line from the article really jumped out at me. The line is More than ever, law firms risk losing good talent if they don’t start listening to what working parents really need.
A couple of other points from the article grabbed my attention. The first is the responses from law firms. According to the article, the response is in the form of benefits. These benefits include wellness programs, tutoring services, technology stipends, childcare stipends, and special cash bonuses. In my opinion, some of these perks are generous and creative. However, they are not solving the problem.
It’s Not a Money Issue
The second is the discussion about Volta Talent Strategies’ survey results. Most of the survey respondents want empathy and understanding from their law firms. They want the pandemic to be considered for performance reviews. And many simply want more time off. This was startling to me – almost half said they are seriously thinking about leaving their current job. Overall, they are all exhausted from full-time work and childcare. Before the pandemic, they had support networks to share the burden. Obviously, this has been extraordinarily hard on working parents.
Maybe law firm leaders will read this article and take its findings to heart. Lawyers, especially parents, are stressed beyond limits. These feelings probably will not go away anytime soon – even as the pandemic gets under control. Hopefully, this knowledge will open a dialogue between law firms and their employees. As highlighted in this article, failure to do so will be costly.
On the other hand, there will be law firms that “get it”. There are firms that understand the struggle of practicing law while raising children. I will help you find those firms in New Jersey, New York and Florida so you can be at your exact right perfect fit firm.
That is what we do at Gillman Strategic Group. We help rainmakers find their perfect fit firm. If you would like to have a conversation about how we may be able to support you, please schedule a time on my calendar.