'It's more of a juggle than a balance': an attorney and mother shares tips for success

Jodi Rosenberg has been a practicing attorney for fifteen years and a mother for ten. Her account of the "juggling act" won Honorable Mention in the Ms. JD & PAR work/life balance essay contest. She shares war stories--like the time the school nurse demanded to speak with her in front of a judge--and winning stories, like this one:

"A week before I left for maternity leave, [a partner] approached me about my request to work part-time. He represented a large bank and I was one of a group of associates who worked on the bank’s matters. The bank’s general counsel, a single mother of four, had expressed to him that she liked my work and he told her about my interest in a reduced schedule. Together, they came up with a plan. If I spent all of my time working on the bank’s matters three days a week, the bank would be better serviced because it would be guaranteed the same associate on most of its matters instead of the usual assignment of the least busy associate. The bank even agreed to increase its share of work to our firm based on this plan, as the proposed arrangement demonstrated that the bank was progressive and supportive of part-time opportunities. It was a win-win solution on all levels."

Great idea, right? Follow the jump to read more. --Ed.