For those that attempt it, quest to balance the demands of motherhood with the stressful career as a lawyer is never ending. That’s supercharged when you’re a breastfeeding mom — one of the most time-intensive stages in your child’s development — and you’re also at trial — one of the most time-intensive stages of your career. So how can you make it work?
Jennifer Feld, a shareholder at Kubicki Draper, wrote an article for Law.com sharing her best tips and tricks for surviving the pressure of having it all. It’s a great read that you should check out, but here are some of the best tidbits.
Location, location, location. Feld recommends reserving a conference room by the courtroom you trial will be held in ahead of time. You don’t want to leave it to chance, and other available spaces maybe far from the courtroom, which will pull you out of trial mode for longer than necessary:
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For trial, I recommend that you contact the bailiff to reserve one of the conference rooms next to the courtroom where your case will be held. Note: Do not leave your milk or pump in this room, as only certain bailiffs have the keys, and you will have to leave it unlocked between sessions. (Don’t worry. You can lock the door from the inside while you’re in there.)
Security probably isn’t used to seeing breast pumps everyday. So, you’ll have to think that through before your get to the courthouse:
The first few times I entered the courthouse, I separated my cellphone and keys, but I didn’t think twice about my pump. Sure enough, it set off the X-ray on the conveyor belt. The entire bag was taken apart. Unless you want your breast pump handled by a bunch of strangers, you should remove the mechanical device before you put your bag on the conveyor belt.
The jury is going to see you leave the courtroom, many times throughout the course of the trial. Make sure they don’t read anything into it:
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Let’s say you are trying your case with a partner, and you will be able to call your witnesses around your pump schedule. If you’re going to be leaving the courtroom for any reason while the jury is still present, you may want to think about requesting a specific jury instruction. I simply requested that the judge advise the jury that attorneys may be coming and going from the courtroom during the trial and that this is normal practice. The jurors are not to think anything one way or another about an attorney leaving the courtroom during testimony.
Feld’s tips are great, but we have to wonder if any ATL readers have their own to share. Feel free to sound off by email, by text message (646-820-8477), or by tweet (@ATLblog). A fun or insightful response — we’ll keep you anonymous — could find its way into an update to this story.
Kathryn Rubino is a Senior Editor at Above the Law, and host of The Jabot podcast. 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).