Part-Time Hires Still Scarce

by Rachel Glas

Part-time legal work continues to be largely the province of female attorneys, who make up nearly 70 percent of the lawyers putting in less than a full schedule at law firms, according to a 2010 survey of more than 129,000 lawyers. Among female lawyers, 13.6 per-cent said they work part time, compared with less than 3 percent of male attorneys.

Although part-time lawyers have consistently been a minority in the profession, their representation grew from just 2.4 percent in 1994 to 6.4 percent last year, the National Association for Law Placement found. Lawyers looking to work fewer hours tend to take staff attorney and of-counsel positions; in those roles part-time workers constitute 22 percent of the workforce.

California appears to be relatively friendly to flexible schedules, with several major cities boasting part-time attorney ranks greater than the national average. At Los Angeles firms, however, the law is more of a full-time job.

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