I thought I was the only one
"I quoted lower, but I could have quoted higher. Why did I never learn?" (said by a senior lawyer at a Female Lawyers' Club fees and billing session)
For years, saying my fees out loud made me want to apologise mid-sentence. I'd say the number and immediately look for ways to make it sound better, or justify it. I assumed this was a personal failing, something everyone else had grown out of.
It turns out it wasn't just me at all.
Nobody asked me why I was leaving
Nobody asked me why I was leaving.
Colleagues asked, plenty of them, out of real curiosity. But across six different law firms, over more than twenty years, after I’d announced I was leaving each firm, nobody ever sat me down properly - not once.
We already know women leave this profession in numbers that should worry every firm. Around a third of female solicitors leave between five and ten years after qualifying, and don't come back (Law Society, 2022). Women make up the majority of solicitors and a fraction of equity partners. None of that is news to anyone reading this.
I wasn’t expecting this…
Kindness is, after all, very much not a prerequisite for working in a law firm. Indeed, I suspect it would be actively frowned upon by certain members of the profession.
And yet…
What will we remember when we reach the end of our careers?
Yes, of course, we’ll remember the highs and lows of a career in a highly competitive (and occasionally dramatic) profession.
But won’t we remember most of all the times when we were treated with kindness in a profession where it can be in somewhat short supply?
The No Club
There may be male lawyers reading this who’ll say “I’ve done loads of this type of thing over the years!” To which I say, good for you! I’ve just rarely seen this myself in my 20 year career.
The real problem of non-promotable work is that it’s, well, non-promotable. You’ll spend the same time doing the work as you could have spent doing chargeable work that counts towards your annual targets i.e. things the promotion committee actually care about.
When is the best time to have a baby in your legal career?
This is a bit of a loaded subject. However, it’s one that male lawyers don’t need to think about to the same degree and so it’s definitely one for the Female Lawyers’ Club to discuss.
I’ve set out my thoughts, plus those of seven female lawyer friends who have kindly contributed.