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Career Center Tip of the Day: Making Work-Life Work (Part 1)

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Coming off a successful year in which some firms even saw record-setting revenues and profits, many Biglaw associates are now the busiest they have been in recent memory. While this uptick in work may initially be a welcome relief for some, in the long run associates often find themselves struggling to balance an increased workload with life outside the firm.

Today’s Career Center “Tip of the Day” features advice on maintaining work-life balance. Despite what you may have heard, work-life balance isn’t just a program for new mothers. Sure, many law firms aim their work-life policies — like parental leave, reduced hours schedules, and flexible working arrangements — at parents. But the fact is that everyone needs to balance work and life, regardless of whether or not you have kids and whether or not you work at a firm that promotes work-life balance, if you plan to make a career out of Biglaw while staying relatively happy and sane.

We collaborated with Biglaw associates to provide practical tips for helping you to achieve a work-life balance in your daily schedule. The first set of tips is aimed at managing your work to help free up time for your personal life. Next week, we will feature tips aimed at helping you maintain your personal life. Of course, these tips come with the caveat that the nature of Biglaw means that at times the “life” portion of the equation can be non-existent. For example, if you are on trial or closing a deal, you may be expected to work around the clock. But eventually your trial will end or you will complete your deal, and you will have the opportunity to regain some semblance of a life. These tips are geared toward helping you do that.

On to the tips for managing your work…

1. Take control of the calendar. Rather than letting others dictate your schedule, make work more predictable for yourself by understanding and keeping track of the deadlines in your cases or deals. Know who is working on what, what tasks still need to be completed, and when they are due. Take the initiative to volunteer for tasks early on to help minimize last-minute fire drills. And remember to build a cushion into your schedule. For instance, if you need to draft a motion, set aside a few extra days to account for those unexpected and urgent day-to-day issues that may come up, such as responding to letters from opposing counsel or client phone calls.

2. Keep your teams in the loop. Let your partners know early (and remind them again later) when you will need to be out of the office or have other commitments on another case or deal. Put it on their calendars so you are less likely to get slammed with work all at once, or be put in the uncomfortable position of turning down work.

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3. Understand your partners and your tasks. Find out how your partners work, what work product they want, and what format they like it in. If your partner prefers short, succinct memos in a particular font with three copies of all supporting case law in a tabbed and indexed spiral-bound binder, you will save time by getting it right on the first try. Also, make sure you clearly understand your tasks before you get started. If your partner or senior associate asks you a research question for a letter brief that is due the next day, find out whether he or she just expects a quick email write-up or a printout of a relevant case, before you spend all night writing a formal memo that he or she may never read.

4. Delegate. Involve and use your assistants, paralegals, and junior associates early on and often. Assistants and paralegals typically can do some things much faster and/or better than you can. Be sure to establish a system or routine with those working for you, so they know exactly what to do without you having to spend a lot of time bringing them up to speed.

These tips are brought to you by the experienced recruiters at Lateral Link. If you have questions about seeking new employment opportunities, or would like a professional recruiter to assist you in your job search, contact any of the recruiting professionals recruiting professionals at Lateral Link.

Be sure to check out other articles and the firm profiles on the Career Center website for additional resources to help you with your job searches and career.

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