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How one BigLaw firm changed the game for working parents
Five years ago, a legal power couple working at the same firm both took parental leave at the same time in anticipation of their first child. While it raised some eyebrows then, the firm has worked to “even up the playing field” by completely changing the culture around working parents and flexible hours.
Naomi Neilson
The complete novelty of male lawyers taking time off to focus on their growing family and both parents returning to flexible hours has worn off at Allens with the firm making major changes over the last five years to normalise working parents. Partner Nikki O'Leary said the days of second-guessing leave entitlements are now gone.
“At Allens we have parental leave – that is equal, paid leave entitlements for both mothers and fathers. At our firm, we don’t have primary or secondary carers – we have parents,” Ms O'Leary told Lawyers Weekly. “That change in mindset has created an entire cultural shift. It has really evened up the playing field as it is assumed that all parents will take extended leave and there is no judgement.”
More importantly, being a parent and being a lawyer were never mutually exclusive and the firm never hesitated to advance either parent because of it. She said that the idea that working flexibly is not compatible with career progression is “wrong”, proof being her own advancement throughout the firm while maintaining her own hours.
Ms O'Leary said the firm focuses on the outcomes and prioritises providing strategic advice to clients while being available to support them rather than processes.
“That does not require our lawyers to be chained to their desks, nor would our clients expect or want that,” Ms O'Leary said. “Most of the partners at Allens work flexibly, from working part time to working from places other than our office. I continue to work flexibly and since having children have been promoted a number of times.”
She said that it has been possible because Allens has “focussed on what I have achieved, rather than how many hours I spent at work”. For other parents that are struggling to advance in their own workplaces, Ms O'Leary said that if they are achieving goals and keeping their clients happy, “then your firm should support however you want or need to work to achieve these objectives”.
To continue the culture that allowed her and her husband to take parental leave the second time round without protest, Ms O'Leary said she tends to flexibly work “loudly” that tends to set a tone and healthy standard for the broader team.
“I try very hard not to set meetings before 9.30am as I know many of the members of my team, including me, are dropping kids to day-care or school. I am also very upfront about trying to leave the office to make it home for the dinner/bath/bed gauntlet with the kids,” Ms O'Leary said.
“With the more junior members of my team, I find that being approachable and available is critical to fostering an environment where people feel they can connect – balancing that with proactively checking in and providing space for more junior team members to share their experiences with a range of people in the team works well.”
Naomi Neilson
Naomi Neilson is a senior journalist with a focus on court reporting for Lawyers Weekly.
You can email Naomi at:
