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Although most large law firms make part-time schedules available to their
experienced attorneys, in 1998, as in past years, very few attorneys took
advantage of this option. These are among the findings of the most recent
analyses of the National Directory of Legal Employers, the annual compendium of
employer data published by the National Association for Law Placement (NALP).
The 1998-99 Directory comprises listings from primarily large firms and includes
part-time information from more than 1,100 individual law offices representing
over 600 firms and 85,000 partners and associates nationwide.
The 1998 analyses reveal that 92% of the offices in the Directory allowed
part-time schedules, either as an affirmative policy or on a case-by-case basis
- a figure that showed little change from the 92.5% reported in 1997. The number
of attorneys reported to be working on a part-time basis increased somewhat to
3%, as compared with 2.7% in 1997. Associates took greater advantage of
part-time schedules than did partners, with 4.5% of associates working part-time
contrasted with 1.5% of partners; however, the overall increase in use of
part-time schedules reflects an increased rate of part-time work among partners,
while the rate of associates working part-time remained unchanged.
NALP's data reveal differences in the availability and use of part-time
schedules when measured by size of firm, city, and state. For example, part-time
schedules were most available and were most likely to be used in mid-size firms
of 101-250 attorneys - 96.4% of these firms offered part-time schedules and 3.6%
of the attorneys at these firms availed themselves of this option. In contrast,
firms of over 251 attorneys were more likely to offer the part-time option and
least likely to have attorneys take advantage of the option, while firms of 100
or fewer attorneys were less likely to offer part-time schedules but reported a
higher percentage of attorneys working part-time.
Associate use of part-time schedules ranged from 3.8% in large firms to 5.8%
in mid-size firms. Part-time partners, however, were much less common that
part-time associates regardless of firm size - constituting just 1.8% of
partners in mid-size firms and 1.3% of partners in large firms.
The availability of part-time schedules also differed greatly among cities,
from a low of 82% in Tampa to 100% availability in Charlotte, Cleveland,
Columbus, Menlo Park, Miami, Palo Alto, Philadelphia, and Seattle. Of these
cities, Charlotte and Philadelphia had the highest percentages of attorneys
actually utilizing the part-time option (4.6% and 4.4% respectively). Charlotte
boasted the highest percentage of part-time partners, with 5.2%, followed by
Palo Alto at 3.4%. Associate use of part-time schedules was somewhat higher in
general, and ranged from a low of 0.6% in Menlo Park to a high of 12% in
Hartford.
Ten states had sufficient data, in addition to that for the specific cities
listed, for a parallel analysis. Among these states, part-time work was most
available in Ohio, where all of the offices represented in the Directory
reported extending the part-time option. Missouri and Virginia also had above
average availability of part-time schedules, while Texas, in keeping with city
trends, showed the least possibility of part-time work. Following the national
patterns, these ten states had higher percentages of part-time associates than
part-time partners; however in some states the differences were especially
pronounced. For example, New Jersey showed a relatively high percentage of
part-time associates (5.7%) and the lowest percentage of part-time partners
(0.5%).
Entry-level lawyers in search of part-time schedules found their options more
limited. Nationally, 57% of the offices that offered a part-time option
precluded entry-level associates from using that arrangement, and just 6% had an
affirmative part-time policy that made the option available to all attorneys.
Nonetheless, an entry-level attorney's chances of finding part-time work were
somewhat higher in firms of 100 or fewer attorneys. Firms of this size were also
most likely to have an affirmative policy of part-time availability applicable
to all attorneys.
Offices in Hartford, Menlo Park, and Minneapolis offered the best prospects
for entry-level attorneys looking for part-time work - the cities least likely
to offer a part-time option to entry-level attorneys were Austin, Los Angeles,
Palo Alto, and Phoenix. Among states, Missouri and Ohio had the highest
percentages of firms which made part-time work available to all attorneys.
Part-time Lawyer Ratios Differ from the Workforce at Large
Interestingly, the dearth of part-time attorneys distinguishes the profession
from both the workforce as a whole and from more narrowly defined segments of
the workforce. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), about 13% of
all those age 25 or older who were employed in non-agricultural industries
during 1998 usually worked part-time, and about 16% of those employed in
professional specialties during 1998 usually worked part-time. These rates
contrast markedly with the 3.0% rate among attorneys at major law firms.
Unpublished data from BLS indicates that, among lawyers and judges as a whole,
about 8% usually worked part-time.
NALP's data show that the relatively low percentage of part-time attorneys
during 1998 is not an indication that the option was not available. It is likely
that many factors play a role in determining whether or not an attorney avails
him or herself of the part-time work option. The relatively low use of what may
be perceived as a positive perquisite may reflect law firm cultures. For
example, even NALP's more limited information on government and public interest
organizations suggests that although the availability of part-time work in these
settings is lower than in law firms, the proportion of attorneys working
part-time is about the same. A decision to pursue a part-time schedule in a law
firm setting would naturally include concerns about the effect part-time work
might have on one's career path, in addition to myriad personal desires.
Availability and Use of Part-Time Provisions in Law Firms,
1998
| |
Availability – Percent of Offices
|
Use – Percent of Attorneys Working Part-Time
|
| |
Part-time avail.*
|
Not avail. to entry-level**
|
Affirmative policy applicable to all**
|
# of Offices
|
# of Partners
|
% Part-time Partners
|
# of Associates
|
% Part-time Associates
|
% Part-time overall
|
# of Offices
|
| Nationwide |
91.9
|
56.6
|
6.0
|
1,133
|
41,689
|
1.5
|
43,331
|
4.5
|
3.0
|
1,134
|
| By Firm Size:
100 or fewer
101-250
251 or more
|
84.1
96.4
94.3
|
52.0
57.6
58.7
|
7.3
5.0
5.9
|
327
335
470
|
8,561
14,704
18,395
|
1.6
1.8
1.3
|
6,243
12,370
24,713
|
4.6
5.8
3.8
|
2.9
3.6
2.7
|
327
335
471
|
| By City:
Atlanta
Austin
Baltimore
Boston
Charlotte
Chicago
Cleveland
Columbus
Dallas
Denver
Hartford
Houston
Los Angeles
Menlo Park
Miami
Minneapolis
New York
Palo Alto
Philadelphia
Phoenix
Portland, OR
San Diego
San Francisco
Seattle
Tampa
Washington, DC
|
95.7
87.5
90.9
96.3
100.0
94.6
100.0
100.0
87.1
90.0
90.9
82.8
86.5
100.0
100.0
93.3
94.3
100.0
100.0
91.7
83.3
91.7
97.4
100.0
81.8
99.2
|
50.0
78.6
60.0
38.5
41.7
56.6
45.5
36.4
48.2
44.4
20.0
50.0
73.4
30.0
52.9
28.6
63.5
90.0
42.9
72.7
70.0
63.6
68.4
60.9
45.5
53.9
|
4.6
0.0
20.0
19.2
0.0
7.6
0.0
9.1
3.7
11.1
40.0
4.2
3.1
10.0
0.0
14.3
4.4
0.0
4.8
0.0
0.0
0.0
2.6
0.0
0.0
8.6
|
23
16
11
27
12
56
11
11
31
20
11
29
74
10
17
15
122
10
21
12
12
12
39
23
11
129
|
1,109
312
516
1,296
232
3,400
632
521
1,387
497
309
990
1,995
85
324
985
5,107
319
1,260
547
435
321
1,088
857
307
4,392
|
0.8
1.3
2.1
2.9
5.2
1.8
1.1
0.2
0.2
2.4
1.6
0.0
1.5
0.0
1.2
2.9
0.8
3.4
1.9
2.6
2.5
1.9
2.8
2.0
2.3
1.8
|
1,124
228
379
1,580
184
2,970
499
355
1,308
371
292
989
2,435
158
278
583
9,219
694
1,177
366
243
294
1,195
541
213
4,901
|
3.1
4.4
3.7
8.0
3.8
3.8
5.6
3.9
3.0
5.7
12.0
2.4
3.1
0.6
2.2
3.8
4.3
2.9
7.1
2.2
7.8
3.7
6.1
6.3
2.3
4.4
|
2.0
2.6
2.8
5.7
4.6
2.7
3.1
1.7
1.6
3.8
6.7
1.2
2.3
0.4
1.7
3.3
3.1
3.1
4.4
2.4
4.4
2.8
4.5
3.6
2.3
3.2
|
23
16
11
25
10
55
11
11
31
20
11
29
74
10
15
15
120
9
20
12
12
12
35
22
11
129
|
| By State:***
Florida
Indiana
Michigan
Missouri
New Jersey
New York
Ohio
Pennsylvania
Texas
Virginia
Wisconsin
|
80.0
90.0
89.3
95.0
92.0
93.8
100.0
—
50.0
93.8
90.9
|
62.5
44.4
60.0
42.1
65.2
66.7
57.1
—
83.3
60.0
50.0
|
0.0
0.0
0.0
5.3
4.4
6.7
14.3
—
0.0
6.7
20.0
|
30
10
28
20
25
16
14
—
12
16
11
|
456
374
1,001
1,069
803
692
543
529
279
590
670
|
0.9
3.5
2.3
1.4
0.5
0.6
0.6
0.6
0.0
1.0
3.7
|
338
271
449
882
1,028
568
355
458
203
454
421
|
4.7
7.0
7.6
2.5
5.7
5.3
4.8
2.6
1.0
5.1
6.4
|
2.5
5.0
3.9
1.9
3.4
2.7
2.2
1.5
0.4
2.8
4.8
|
30
10
28
19
25
15
14
18
12
16
11
|
*Percentages are based on all offices and reflect availability either as an
affirmative policy or on a case-by-case basis.
**Percentages are based on
offices which make part-time work available.
***State analyses exclude cites
reported separately, if any.
Source: National Association for Law Placement, 1998-99 National Directory
of Legal Employers.
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