Part-time is available on a case by case basis, which PAR does not consider to be a best practice. The firm's diversity snapshot on Vault indicates that the decision is based on the needs of the firm and the practice area. PAR considers this to be worthy of a caution flag: too often, firms make a knee-jerk assumption that certain areas of the law are not amenable to part-time practice when in fact PAR has yet to find a practice area in which attorneys are successfully working part-time.

Shearman and Sterling was one of the first firms to recognize the link between effective part-time policies and retention of good workers.  In an article appearing in Legal Times (Oct. 2, 2000), the firm announced that any associate who has been at the firm for at least two years can work part-time -- with no loss of partnership eligibility. Given this, one would expect that the firm would have better results to show for its program (such as a higher usage rate and some partners working part-time). 

According to Vault.com, since 2000, the firm has made four attorneys who worked part-time or flex-time partner. The firm's website notes that part-time attorneys have been promoted to partner "while maintaining part-time status"; this is preferable to the programs of some firms that require a return to full-time practice once or soon after promotion to partner.