In this article, we discuss the phenomenon of the mid-career drop off that occurs for many women in law, and why it is worth private practice firms putting the effort in to reverse it, to maintain institutional knowledge and to increase their own bottom line.

One thing that has become very clear during our years as legal industry recruiters, is that women’s participation in private practice within the legal industry starts to drop off when they get to mid-career level.

Hired in equal quantities out of law school, they certainly don’t represent 50% of leadership roles in QLD legal firms. There is an attrition rate relevant to female lawyers as their career progresses. They leave private practice during the ages of 35-55 years of age in significant numbers.

Betty Friedan is quoted as saying, “you can have it all, just not at the same time” and there is a similar quote attributed to Oprah Winfrey. Do female private practice lawyers reach their child-bearing years and realise they have a legal career that is not compatible with family life?

The phenomenon of women leaving private practice can be attributed to:

• Many women are faced with the dilemma of how to be a career focused lawyer and participate in the raising of a family. Some might argue these two things are mutually exclusive. A female lawyer with children may feel compelled to shift to part time hours to be involved in her children’s lives. This is particularly the case where it is not possible to have an equitable split in your family of household and childcare responsibilities or more outsourced help at home.
• Taking on caring responsibilities for aging parents
• Relentless workloads, demanding hours, demanding clients all of which have an impact on work-life balance.
• The pressure of maintaining billable hours, potentially at the expense of family commitments.
• The appeal of in-house or government legal opportunities appearing to offer more balance

Many women, particularly those who take time away from their career to have children return to private practice law firms in a part time capacity. Some then feel that they are seen as less committed because they are working part time. This has an ongoing impact on their self-confidence and their likelihood of applying for advancement opportunities.

Some part time lawyers feel a sense of loyalty to the firm that has let them work part time, reducing the chances that they will apply for other more senior private practice roles at alternative firms. 

Anecdotal evidence suggests that men are more likely to apply for lateral career moves, partnership opportunities and push their career harder.

The mid-career drop-off has a significant impact on diversity, particularly at senior levels within private practice. Companies often lose high performing female employees at the peak of their careers. The very women that they have invested significant funds in their training and experience. Effectively, the mid-career drop-off for private practice female lawyers is this investment walking out the door.

Diversity has been proven time and time again to have an impact on revenue, collaboration, innovation, creativity and problem solving. It has been demonstrated that it is worth the investment in programs, policies and flexible working arrangements to keep these mid-career women in an organisation. This prevents the expense of replacing her and the loss of her institutional knowledge and client experience. 

Reversing the Phenomenon

Firms can take steps to reverse or stabilize the mid-career drop off. We might even find that the post Covid-19 shift to remote working and virtual ways of working may help over the long term.

Other programs that are having success at some firms and may be worth considering are:

• A formal mentoring program between senior lawyers and those approaching mid-career
• Ensuring you have senior role models who demonstrate working flexibly and remotely
• A talent pipeline that has a fair representation of female employees.
• Promotion of high performers that have obvious family responsibilities
• Ensuring that you have competitive maternity and paternity leave programs. In our experience, candidates are comparing these across firms when it comes to deciding on a job offer.
• Consider the career pathways you present to women returning to the workforce after taking time out to raise small children. Some organisations have formal “return to work” programs that act a little like a cadet or graduate program.
• Take a hard look at the data from your own firm. When are women leaving and why? Ensure you are doing exit interviews to extract this information and learn from it. 
• Consider resources to help women balance their family obligations. It is a fact of the world that this often falls to them regardless of their career status.
• Train women and men in equal numbers in business development and leadership skills
• Encourage mid-career private practice females to develop their skills in personal branding, self-promotion and even how to negotiate a pay rise.
• Consider job sharing, time in lieu and part-time roles within your organisation. Ensure that the work is still interesting and that these are not considered “lesser” roles. 

In summary, the phenomenon of the mid-career drop off is one we experience as legal industry recruiters every day. When we advertise roles that are in-house, or within government, we are overwhelmed by the number of applications from females looking to escape private practice. If you are a talented lawyer considering leaving private practice, then get in touch. We can help you consider your career options and pathways. Let’s talk!

Take a listen to Episode 9 of Friends in Law where Alex Correa and the President of the QLS Future Leaders Committee, Minnie Hannaford discuss the mid-career drop off. 

Contact us for a confidential career consultation where we can help you understand your market value and what is on offer in the Brisbane legal industry. You can make an appointment by emailing us at info@alexcorreaexecutive.com.au.