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Corporate Counsel Project 2011
PAR is currently doing a follow up study to its report on work/life balance for in-house attorneys, Better on Balance? The Corporate Counsel Work/Life Report (2003). That report focused on three principal goals: one, identify the types of work schedules that in-house attorneys use successfully to find work/life balance; two, develop best practices and a model policy; and three, test the perception of many law firm partners that corporate counsel, as clients, would not want to work with law firm attorneys who were working part-time. The project examined the work schedules used by in-house counsel to create work/life balance and best practices for retaining attorneys through non-stigmatized flexible work arrangements. Additionally, the project studied ways that legal departments, as clients, can assist law firms in decreasing turnover and promoting stability in attorney-client relationships.
Click Here for the Full 2003 Report: Better on Balance?
PAR’s upcoming study, beginning in summer, 2010, will consist of two parts. The first phase is a series of focus groups designed to explore the work/life issues that in-house counsel identify as relevant and important to them and to get their experiences with work/life balance. Findings from the focus groups will be used to design an on-line survey that will be implemented nationwide in order to assess wider trends in work/life issues among corporate counsel.
PAR is currently seeking sponsors for the Corporate Counsel Project. For more information or to participate in a focus group in San Francisco, Silicon Valley, Denver, or Washington DC, please contact us.
The Diversity & Flexibility Connection
The Diversity and Flexibility Connection is an ongoing discussion between prominent general counsels and law firm chairs leading to best practices for the retention of diverse attorneys including those working on reduced hours or flexible work schedules.
The Connection was designed to facilitate a conversation about how in-house and outside counsel could work together more effectively to support balanced hours programs, with the ultimate goal of making the legal profession more inclusive. The Connection seeks to highlight the connection between diversity and work/life initiatives in order to address the complex issue of attorney retention more holistically. The Connection’s goal is to bring balanced hours into diversity initiatives, thereby accelerating the elimination of structural and cultural biases that create advantages and disadvantages for certain lawyers.
The Diversity & Flexibility Connection: Best Practices, released in October, 2009, was the result of two day-long meetings among the general counsels and managing partners. The participants identified six issues and proposed solutions to supporting balanced hours and flexible work for lawyers in their organizations. Each of the participants committed to taking steps to implement the best practices.
Click Here to Read: Diversity & Flexibility Connection: Best Practices
The Connection will be continuing its work with a new set of meetings starting in spring, 2011. The Connection is also looking to expand to include additional general counsel and law firm leaders interested in joining with the Connection founders to commit to best practices to achieve diversity and flexibility. If you are interested in learning more about the Connection, please contact us for more information.
Law Department Membership
Law Department Members of PAR receive tangible, immediate benefits in addition to emphasizing organizational commitment to retention of top legal talent. PAR supporting member benefits include:
- A listing on PAR's website, www.attorneyretention.org, with a link to your organization’s website
- A complete review and analysis of your law department’s part-time, balanced hours or other work/life policy
- Quarterly teleconferences on current retention and work/life issues for all attorneys employed by your organization
- A telephone networking group for balanced hours coordinators to discuss day-to-day realities of managing flexible work programs
- Two admissions to PAR's annual conference
- A copy of Joan Williams and Cynthia Thomas Calvert’s book Solving the Part-Time Puzzle: The Law Firm's Guide to Balanced Hours
- Discounts on admission to events and products, such as the Leadership Academy for Women and additional conference tickets
Additional benefits are offered to members at the sustaining level. Please contact us to explore PAR membership for your law department.
PAR Consultants
PAR consultants are available to assist legal departments with the design and implementation of balanced hours programs and other best practices from PAR research, including the Diversity & Flexibility Connection. If you are interested in working with a PAR consultant, please contact us.
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