Some things get easier with practice. Striking a work-life balance as a midcareer lawyer is not one of them. Job responsibilities and personal obligations multiply simultaneously. The unexpected happens despite meticulous planning. While answering emails, drafting a brief, and planning for a client meeting, you get the call: “Your child is sick, can you pick them up from school?” Or your dad calls before lunch and you feel guilty cutting it short, recalling the countless times you called him at work as a child. Driving home after a wearisome workday, you talk to your mom, and she asks, “Have you talked to your siblings?”

Consider the unexpected from a career perspective. One day, serving as in-house counsel, the company takes a change of direction and eliminates your position. Or maybe you’ve built a thriving private practice and receive an offer for a once-in-a-lifetime career opportunity, but it doesn’t fit your ideal timeline. In both cases, now what? It can be difficult to know what the right next step is, particularly when most career support focuses on grooming young talent or the opposite end of the continuum: succession planning.

The curveballs that both professional and personal life throw at midcareer lawyers are daunting. This is true particularly for women lawyers, who still tend to shoulder a disproportionate burden in terms of mounting personal obligations, whether they be children, aging parents, or personal health issues. It is hardly surprising, then, that while women represent 45 to 50% of new law firm associates, they comprise only 18
to 20% of equity partners.1 Getting woman attorneys in the door isn’t the problem — it’s keeping them from leaving or stagnating as work/life demands skyrocket midcareer.

It doesn’t have to be this way. Even though life happens, we have more control than we think over many aspects of our careers and lives. Small tweaks can make the difference between moving up and moving on under pressure. We hope our personal stories and professional advice can help you rediscover career enthusiasm, raise your hand, and adapt to the inevitable changes and challenges of life in the law.

Read the article below.