Success Stories

Barbara’s Story — Finding Her “Fit,” and then Helping Her Team Do the Same…

I am an in-house lawyer for a national professional services firm who spends a good portion of my work day advising people all over the country either over the telephone or via email. After my first child was born in 1997, I returned to work full time. But spending five days a week in my Manhattan office, quickly became overwhelming, so I looked for alternatives. If my family moved from Manhattan to the suburbs, I could have a well-equipped home office. I knew that I could serve my internal clients just as well from a home office in the suburbs as from a mid-town Manhattan office building. Nine years, two additional children, and two promotions later, I still work the same schedule I negotiated then–three days in the office, and two days from home.

I’m using my experience to mentor other lawyers in my group of seven, and five of us now have alternative schedules that include some combination of reduced work weeks and work at home arrangements. Our department’s flexibility and respect for people’s work/life choices has engendered tremendous loyalty to the organization and job satisfaction for the individual attorneys.