All that glistens is not gold.
When female senior attorneys become partners at their law firms, the world thinks they made it.
But the reality is that for many, their lives get worse, and they leave.
Why?
The facts are stranger than the fiction they were sold:
1. They find out there’s even more pressure to ‘bring in the business,’ and yet they are still poorly equipped by their firm or legal experience for business
2. They lose a network to call on -- it’s difficult to ask for help when you should be at the top
3. They end up working longer hours and feeling more stressed than ever before
4. It then becomes easier to trade decades in a profession they loved in favor of leaving.
A study published in Oct 2019 by the American Bar Association and ALM Intelligence explored why experienced female lawyers leave law firms. The top 3 reasons were stress at work, emphasis on marketing and business, and caretaking commitments.
Some women tell me that they were promoted to partnership to improve diversity numbers - and still get side-lined from business development opportunities.
Among non-equity partners, the 2019 study reported that women’s average compensation was 89% of the men’s average. For equity partners, the average compensation for women was 86% of the men’s average.
In a further ABA study in 2020, while 47% of associates were women, 31% were non-equity partners, and 21% were equity partners.
We’re not interested in appearances.
Our goal is to shatter the glass ceiling in law TRULY. We don't settle for anything less than gold.
This means cutting through the noise, and focusing on the basic ingredients of a law practice - and letting the basic building blocks combine together to form a practice that will be greater than the sum of its parts. Because it's built on a real foundation.
So, let's get to work!
