Pregnant In Biglaw? Here's The Bad News
"I felt totally disrespected while I was pregnant."
The quest to have it all does not come easy. The hours and stress of Biglaw are challenging under the very best of conditions, but once you add the responsibility of keeping a tiny human alive, things can get hairy. Biglaw moms have an unenviable job that taxes their time, resources, and patience.
We’re dedicating a series of posts to the Biglaw moms out there. We want to get into the nitty gritty — the good, the bad, and the ugly. If you want to sound off on your life as a Biglaw mom email us — as always, all communications will be kept anonymous.
First up is an interview with a Biglaw senior associate, let’s call her Britney. Britney had a baby while working at an Am Law 200 firm, and the impact on her career — and pocketbook — has been less than positive. She felt disrespected by her colleagues while she was pregnant, and it was hard to get partners to give her new work. But the real kick in the teeth was after she returned from maternity leave. That’s when she discovered her firm’s policy resulted in her getting stiffed come bonus season — regardless of all the hours she logged while pregnant.
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Read on for all the details:
ATL: What do you wish you’d known before you went on maternity leave?
Britney: That maternity leave is not paternity leave and that if you are the mother of a child, you can lose your entire bonus for the year.
ATL: Did having a kid hurt your career?
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B: In the short term, I think pregnancy hurt my career (feeling sick, being tired, etc for pregnancy reasons is not given the excuse that the flu is given), but long term, having a kid helped me prioritize.
Whether it hurts my career is TBD.
ATL: Has working in Biglaw changed your family planning?
B: Yes. I will be waiting a good long stretch to see if I make partner before I have kid 2. I will be older than I would have liked to have been, but c’est la vie.
ATL: Any tips for work/life balance?
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B: Find a hobby outside of work and kids that makes you happy and stick to pursuing it, or you will possibly go insane. Take care of yourself.
ATL: What’s the worst part about being a Biglaw mom?
B: Worst part is definitely being pregnant and being not taken seriously while pregnant. I felt totally disrespected while I was pregnant — open season for body comments, work evaporated, etc.
ATL: Best part?
B: Best part is that I am closer to having it all than I would be if I weren’t a working mom (if you can ever have it all being a huge debate — maybe my standards are low).
Kathryn Rubino is an editor at Above the Law. AtL tipsters are the best, so please connect with her. Feel free to email her with any tips, questions, or comments and follow her on Twitter (@Kathryn1).
