Ms. JD and the Project for Attorney Retention received fifty-four passionate, well-written arguments for better work/life balance in the legal profession. Our organizations co-sponsored the contest to generate dialogue between Baby Boomer partners and Millennials. Essentially, we asked entrants to explain why lawyers who place a premium on work/life balance are not slackers. Ms. JD awarded $1,000 to the winning essayist as judged by PAR attorneys.

Lori Johnson, a 1L at the University of Mississippi, won first prize with her essay, Bridging the Gap on Work-Life Balance. Johnson previously studied accounting and finance at Texas A&M, then spent four years as a CPA for Ernst & Young.

 

Davida Brook (1L) and Andrew Bruck (3L) of Stanford Law School co-authored the second place essay, describing their work with the group Building a Better Legal Profession.

 

 

Sabrina Ursaner, a 1L at NYU, won third place with an open letter that begins, "Dear Baby Boomer Law Firm Partner..."

 

Jodi Rosenberg, of Greenbaum, Rowe, Smith & Davis LLP in New Jersey, earned Honorable Mention reflecting on fifteen years juggling as an attorney and mother of three. Rosenberg received her JD from Boston University in 1993. She also serves as an officer of The Valerie Fund, an organization that assists children with cancer.

 

The contest entries were inspiring and thought-provoking. We look forward to sharing them with you in coming days. Congratulations to all who entered!