Berkeley Parents Network: Resuming Law Career After Some Years Off

Berkeley Parents Network

Resuming Law Career After Some Years Off

Berkeley Parents Network > Advice > Working & Careers > Resuming Law Career After Some Years Off

March 2002

I have been a stay-at-home mom for the last four-plus years and now I am looking to return to the workforce full-time. I became pregnant with my child during my last semester of law school (I am now licensed to practice law in CA) and have been a stay-at-home mom since. My child is now four and due to my impending divorce, I have to return to the workforce. I studied corporate and securities law while in law school and I would like to ''start'' my full-time legal career in that area of law. My problem is this. I have been looking full-time for an attorney position since September. The legal market is extremely tight and I am having no luck whatsoever in my search for an attorney position. I am assuming that the combination of my lack of experience, the time gap between my graduation from grad school till present, my decision to stay home with my child, and the tight legal market have put me at a severe disadvantage as I compete with other candidates. I am feeling extremely discouraged - no - at this point I am really depressed about this situation. My financial situation is critical and I need a job ASAP. Has anyone gone through a similar situation? I am looking for words of encouragement, creative ideas, and/or connections with people who have been in my shoes. Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

To: Trouble Finding Work..... Before becoming a ''stay-at-home-mom'' myself, I completed my masters degree in psychology specializing in life transitions. For two years I interned at Golden Gate University Law School working with attorneys who were returning to the workforce after an absense, as well as those just entering law after a transition from a previous career. Although I've now been home for almost 2 years with my daughter, and may be a bit rusty, I would be happy to talk with you and share whatever insights I can.

One thing to try. My best friend is an attorney who practiced in Colorado for a few years and then moved back to California but is not licensed here. She took a job with a law firm in SF as a legal assistant/paralegal type. If she passes the BAR, they will move her into an attorney position. I know she isn't making as much money as a full attorney but apparently she is doing pretty well and she actually appreciates that the pressure is not as much as the attorneys. Her biggest problem is that the attorneys keep trying to give her attorney-level work when she is not legally supposed to be doing that and is not compensated for same. Keep trying and be willing to step back to an ''entry-level'' position - you'll get your foot in the door. Barbara

Hello Legal Mom, I can not address the areas of corporate and securities law, but I can address the issue of your difficulty finding an attorney position. Corporate Recruiters are paid to find people with experience, newspaper ads are often only there to meet EEOC reqs, and if your personal network were deep and wide enough you would not be writing to this list. Thus standard ways are out. Internet searches ? A little better, but with so many others trying this, you have a lot of competition. Time for a paradigm shift. Use your contacts with local attorneys and your Alumnae Association to find out what value your skills have. You might be able to develop a professional looking letter to send out to other attorneys stating valuable skills and ask for overflow/research work. The word ''spam'' comes to mind, but you need the odds to be in your favor. Be honest about your skills and you have good shot. The socond place to look is big, solid companies like Chiron, Bayer, Clorox. Again this is dependent on being able to show skills, but there are openings that come up. AND don't wait to see something show up in the paper or on the net. Finding the name of the Chief Legal Council of any major local Corp is easy. And contacting them, by mail, with a telephone follow-up takes more psychological energy than physical. Good Luck, jon

Although I have not had to look for work after a stay-at-home stint, I am an attorney and have some ideas for your job search. First, as you mentioned, the tight economy has been hard on Bay Area law firms and, in particular, on the corporate and securities departments of those firms. Most big firms have laid off many attorneys so you are competing with more experienced folks who don't have the stay-at-home stigma to contend with. Ok, now that we have admitted that there is a stigma (especially at big law firms)what can you do? I would suggest trying smaller firms and government agencies. Because these kinds of employers don't necessarily hire junior attorneys from name schools and through their summer programs, they are sometimes easier for a non-cookie cutter applicant to be hired. Also, my experience is that they have more family friendly hours and may be less likely to rule you out immediately based on a perception that you would not be able to work the insane hours typically required by bigger firms. If you have not already, I would also suggest that you try firms outside SF. I often see ads for Pleasanton, Walnut Creek, Marin and other suburban locations. Finally, if you really need a job you might want to take a paralegal position. I know of attorney paralegals who have eventually moved up to attorney positions within the same firm. At the very least, you would be earning money and learning skills that you will need to be an attorney. Good luck with your job search. Andrea

I am not a lawyer, but I worked as a legal temp when I first moved to the Bay Area. I worked at a very large law firm in San Franscisco and many of the paralegals there were people like you who were licensed to practice in CA, but they could not find employment as lawyers. Applying for a paralegal position is a place to start. Many of my lawyer/paralegal friends got comfy with the money in their positions as paralegals and never went on to practice law, but I'm sure you could get your career jumpstarted from this position. Some were eagar to practice and told me that they couldn't remain paralegals for long because it would ruin their resumes for getting positions as lawyers. If I were you, I'd go to Certified Personnel, a temporary agency in SF. They have an office devoted strictly to providing temporary help to HUGE law firms. Once you get a temp job, start applying for legal positions and getting to know the attorneys. If they like you and your work, they can help you make contacts in the field. As a single working mom myself, I commend you for choosing to stay home with your baby when you did. Sadly, our society does not reward women for the sacrifices we make from our careers for our children. If we don't stay home, who will? Some dads do, but most don't. You can get to the top in legal. You just have to start a little lower than you expected. I'm in your corner! Hopefully, one of the women who has read your post has a connection that can help you start out as a lawyer rather than a legal assistant or paralegal. I wish I knew someone. Christina

My heart goes out to you. It sounds like you're in a very difficult situation. Don't give up - there are legal jobs out there. It may take you a little longer to find a job, however, given your lack of experience. I am an attorney and a mom who started my career as a corporate/securities lawyer at a big firm. If you are having difficulty locating a position in this area, maybe you should consider other areas of specialization. From experience, I can say that the corporate/securities field tends to be very male-dominated, very aggressive, status-oriented and stressful, with a lot of value given to those who make their jobs their lives. The hours tend to be VERY long; meaning its not uncommon and in fact, is expected that you work all night or practically all night on a fairly regular basis. From my observation, most of the successful attorneys in this field are either single, about to get divorced and/or have a spouse who is the primary home-maker and care-giver. I found this type of work and the expectations it carried incompatible with my emotional and physical well-being even though I was single and childless at the time.

I suggest that you do some research and find a field of law that is more compatible with your status as an about to become single mom. Some ideas that come to mind are estate-planning, transactional real estate or transactional (non-securities) general business law. Also, if you live in the East Bay, you might want to consider options on this side of the Bridge. The commute alone to S.F. can be very time-consuming and stressful.

As for finding a job, be very open and flexible and adjust your expectations. If you can't find a full-time job with a ''status'' firm, try to locate a job with a smaller firm or a solo practitioner. If you can't find a full-time job immediately, try to find a part-time job or several parat-time jobs with smaller firms or solos. And if you are unable to find a job as a traditional associate, you could start as a law clerk/paralegal and then hopefully acquire some experience and contacts.

As for networking, you should exhaust every opportunity. Call all of your friends and acquaintances and let them know you are looking. Your law school alumni office should know about networking possibilities as well as have other resources for job hunting. You could also call headhunters or firms that specialize in placing contract workers (you can find their numbers in The Recorder) and ask them how you might be able to make yourself more marketable.

You could try ''informational'' interviewing, whereby you call an attorney (preferably after an introduction) and ask to meet with that person for the purpose of learning more about their practice, rather than asking for a job. You should also join a local bar association and start going to bar events and training programs. Most local bar associations have a young lawyers division. You could volunteer for the bar association's pro bono projects. This would allow you to hone your legal skills as well as make contact with other lawyers. (Many attorneys who volunteer their time are in private practice in other fields.)

Finally, there are several support groups out there for people (particulaly women) who are trying to re-enter the job force. There used to be an organization called Alumnae Resources in S.F. that was focused on women's issues. Also, the Berkeley Parents' Network has groups for parents in career transition. You may be able to find other organizations geared especially to lawyers in the Recorder or other legal publications.

Above all, be realistic and don't get too discouraged. Potential legal employers will not be interested in candidates who appear insecure or less than enthusiastic. Legal jobs are out there to be had; you'll just need to focus your efforts on a lot of different fronts until something comes up. GOOD LUCK!! Another Lawyer-Mom

Have you considered/tried public service? Government practice? I am certain you will find much much less prejudice regarding your choice to have taken time off for your child, and much easier entry, and much more satisfying work and training in the immediate term, in public practice. You will also find fabulous benefits, long term (health, retirement, pre-tax child-care funds, etc.), but of course, much lower salaries. Even if you would like to remain committed to your long-terms goals, as you've stated them, you could get a few years experience and training in government practice and then move to the private sector much more easily and with probably more choices, than you can now. Other things to consider while your child is still small: government employers are considered more family friendly than the private sector, much more reasonable hours, flexibility, etc, which, in my view, are way worth the salary differential when your kids are small. Consider state/federal agencies if you want a more ''in-house'' practice. Check State Attorney General/City Attorney/County Counsel offices, if you want more of a litigation practice. Check the web sites for current positions. Fed gov agencies (e.g., Securities & Exchange Commission, HUD, EPA, you name it, mostly in S.F.; IRS in Oakland) Cal. agencies (even tho Cal is currently in a ''hiring freeze,'' due to budget crisis, there are exceptions), check State of Cal. homepage for links to most state agencies, and agency positions available (don't be intimidated by ''exam'' procedure, it's just a resume collection and ranking device). Even if it's not what you want to do ultimately, consider it a stepping stone, with the added benefit that you might just it interesting for awhile as well. City attorneys offices seem to post opeining routinely in the legal papers, but I know that the State does not always do so. The web pages should have the complete listings of openings. Good luck! raissa

The opinions and statements expressed on this website are those of parents who subscribe to the Berkeley Parents Network. Please see Disclaimer & Usage for information about using content on this website.