Women In Law Are Driving An Entirely New Practice Model – Above the Law

Imagine:
You
wake
up
on
a
regular
weekday,
and
rather
than
already
feeling
behind,
you
feel
positive,
even
excited
about
the
day
ahead
of
you.
Your
first
order
of
business
is
to
do
something
you
love
–
whether
that’s
walking
your
kids
to
school
and
taking
a
moment
to
greet
the
other
parents,
engaging
in
the
exercise
or
meditation
routine
that
makes
you
feel
like
your
best
self
without
rushing
through
it,
or
taking
your
dog
on
a
favorite
nearby
hike.
Following
a
wonderful
start
to
your
day,
you
look
forward
to
your
work,
because
you
have
full
autonomy
over
what
that
work
is
and
how
much
of
it
you
do.
On
top
of
that,
you
feel
valued
and
supported
by
your
colleagues.

Where
oh
where,
you
ask,
might
you
find
this
mythical
workplace
environment
that
offers
flexibility,
agency,
and
genuinely
encourages
your
success?
Surely
not
in
law,
you
guess,
knowing
all
too
well
based
on
experience
that
law
firm
and
in-house
counsel
life
are
a
grind
that
eventually
spits
you
out,
particularly
for
women.
Perhaps
your
experience
is
confirmed
by
the

Law360
2022
Glass
Ceiling
Report
on
women
in
law
which
reports
that
major
firms
have
made
almost
no
progress
on
bringing
women
into
the
top
leadership
and
partner
levels.
Or
perhaps,
you’re
one
of
the
scores
of
in-house
lawyers
who,
despite
working
tirelessly
and
especially
during
the
pandemic,
was
recently

laid
off,
or
might
be
in
the
near
future.

Indeed,
the
landscape
for
women
lawyers
on
traditional
paths
–
Biglaw,
and
in-house
jobs
in
particular
–
remains
riddled
with
inequities.
We
start
our
law
careers
thinking
that
we’re
on
equal
footing
with
our
male
counterparts.
After
all,
women
make
up
at
least
50%
of
law
school
graduates,
as
they
have
for
a
generation,
and
comprise
around
50%
of
the
associates
at
major
firms,
according
to
the
Law360
Report.
But
over
the
years,
those
numbers
dwindle.
Across
the
board
in
Biglaw,
women
make
up
roughly
20%
of
equity
partners
and
30%
of
non-equity
partners.

2020
Survey
Report
on
the
Promotion
and
Retention
of
Women
In
Law
Firms,
published
by
the
National
Association
of
Women
Lawyers
(NAWL).
In
2020,
women
held
only
a
small
percentage
of
law
firm
leadership
jobs:
They
were
12%
of
managing
partners,
28%
of
governance
committee
members,
and
27%
of
practice
group
leaders,
according
to
NAWL.

The
in-house
numbers
aren’t
much
better.
Across
the
country,
the
number
of
women
in
top
legal
positions
(particularly
CLO/GC)
is
roughly
30%,
according
to
the

2020
Inclusion
Index
Survey
Report
published
by
The
Minority
Corporate
Counsel
Association.

Law
firm
pay
also
tracks
inequities
among
men
and
women.
The
ABA
published
disheartening
statistics
in
2022
about

Women
in
the
Legal
Profession,
noting
that
“[l]aw
firm
pay
for
women
almost
caught
up
to
pay
for
men
among
associates
and
non-equity
partners
in
2020,
but
a
sizable
gap
still
existed
at
the
highest
levels.
In
2020,
female
associates
and
female
non-equity
partners
received,
on
average,
95%
of
the
compensation
of
their
male
counterparts.
But
among
equity
partners,
women
received
just
78%
of
the
compensation
of
men,
on
average.
There
were
virtually
no
women
among
the
very
highest-compensated
law
firm
attorneys
in
2020.
Only
2%
of
law
firms
said
their
highest-paid
attorney
is
female
–
and
that
number
actually
dropped
from
8%
in
2005.”

Perhaps
most
telling
about
the
prospects
of
advancement
for
women
in
Biglaw
is
that
male
and
female
lawyers
“strongly
disagree
on
how
well
their
law
firms
foster
long-term
careers
for
women.”
That
was
one
conclusion
from
a

2019
study
published
by
the
ABA
and
ALM
Intelligence,
which
explored
why
experienced
female
lawyers
are
leaving
law
firms.
The
report
includes
results
from
a
survey
of
more
than
1,200
senior
lawyers
at
the
nation’s
largest
law
firms.
The
survey
showed
that
men
generally
thought
their
law
firms
treated
women
fairly,
but
women
disagreed.
For
example,
the
vast
majority
of
men
(88%)
said
gender
diversity
is
widely
acknowledged
as
a
firm
priority,
but
barely
half
of
women
(54%)
agreed.
Also,
nearly
3
out
of
4
men
(74%)
said
their
law
firms
successfully
retained
experienced
women
but
again,
less
than
half
of
women
(47%)
agreed.
As
to
why
experienced
female
lawyers
leave
their
firms,
the
women
surveyed
ranked
caretaking
commitments
as
the
No.
1
reason
(58%),
followed
by
stress
at
work
(54%)
and
emphasis
on
marketing
or
originating
business
(51%).

Some
women
have
chosen
to
build
a
solo
or
boutique
practice.
That
path
can
be
rewarding
insofar
as
it
sidesteps
glass
ceilings,
office
politics,
pay
inequity,
and
other
ills
found
in
Biglaw
and
in-house
legal
jobs.
But
solo
or
boutique
practices
have
their
perils
too.
For
one
thing,
they
tend
to
be
riddled
with
administrative
work
which
falls
to
the
lawyers
(particularly
the
female
ones)
and
eats
time
that
would
otherwise
be
spent
on
client
work
or
free
time.
And
as
a
solo,
unless
you
have
been
good
about
building
and
maintaining
a
network
of
lawyers
with
whom
you
can
collaborate,
it
can
often
feel
lonely
and
lacking
in
oft-needed
support.

Before
you
throw
in
the
towel
on
your
law
degree
or
settle
for
another
law
job
that
undervalues
and
fails
to
serve
you,
think
about
this:
There
is
an
emerging
model
that
enables
women
to
build
a
practice
that
is
more
fulfilling,
reflecting
their
own
personal
definition
of
success,
rather
than
one
that
has
been
dictated
by
someone
else,
and
enjoy
the
support
of
like-minded
colleagues.
The
model
found
widespread
adoption
in
the
pandemic,
which
fundamentally
changed
workplace
norms
around
daily
attendance
on
a
proscribed
schedule
in
a
physical
office.
Unlike
Biglaw
and
many
in-house
legal
departments
which
are
ratcheting
up
the
pressure
to
return
to
the
office,
distributed
law
firms
like

Scale
LLP
have,
instead,
embraced
these
changes.
This
model
–
which
doubles
down
on
flexibility
and
encourages
lawyers
to
structure
their
day
in
a
way
that
makes
sense
for
them
–
has
a
profound
effect
on
the
viability
of
sustaining
a
law
practice
over
the
long
term,
especially
for
women.

“Scale
is
attractive
to
female
attorneys
because:
(1)
our
lean
structure
passes
a
greater
portion
of
fees
through
to
attorneys,
allowing
the
flexibility
and
work-life
balance
that’s
structurally
impossible
at
big
law
firms;
and
(2)
we’re
focused
on
building
a
culture
of
collegiality
that’s
supported
by
aligned
financial
incentives
for
us
to
collaborate,”
says
Heather
Cantua,
Deputy
Managing
Partner
at
Scale.
“On
my
recruiting
calls
with
female
partners,
it
gives
me
pride
to
be
able
to
answer
all
their
questions
authentically
and
with
real
solutions
to
their
problems.
The
proof
is
in
the
numbers:
Scale
is
53%
female
partners,”
she
adds.

Cantua
is
a
consumer
finance
attorney
who
began
her
career
in
Biglaw,
and
later
went
in-house
in
the
fintech
sector.
She
joined
Scale
in
2019
and
hasn’t
looked
back:
“Scale
is
different
because
I
value
my
own
time.
I
set
my
own
rates.
I
decide
which
clients
to
work
for
and
what
work
to
take.
I
now
don’t
need
to
wait
for
someone
else
to
give
me
a
path.
I
create
my
own
path.
One
of
the
best
compliments
is
when
I
see
former
colleagues
and
friends
and
they
comment
on
how
I
seem
much
happier
now,”
says
Cantua.
For
her,
Scale’s
ethos
and
strategic
vision
has
made
all
the
difference.
“I
hope
that
other
attorneys
who
want
to
challenge
the
assumptions
of
the
entire
legal
industry
can
find
a
home.
The
past
couple
of
years
have
taught
me
that
the
pace
of
change
is
not
slowing
down.
And
so
now
I’m
trying
to
learn
how
to
ride
those
waves
of
change
and
have
a
career
that
accommodates
my
life
instead
of
a
life
that
has
to
accommodate
a
career.
Now,
when
I
want
to
go
hard
at
work,
I
can.
And
when
I
need
to
take
a
break,
I
can
because
I
have
control,”
says
Cantua.

In-house
female
attorneys
have
also
found
a
home
at
Scale.
Before
joining
Scale,
Amy
Duvanich
was
the
rare
breed
of
lawyer
who
went
to
work
in-house
shortly
after
graduating
from
law
school,
working
for
companies
in
industries
ranging
from
education,
retail,
real
estate,
and
software.
Duvanich
reached
an
“aha”
moment,
realizing
she
could
combine
her
talents
and
passions
and
best
serve
clients
by
becoming
a
fractional
general
counsel
to
start-up
companies,
and
then
realized
that
the
Scale
model
was
a
terrific
fit
for
her
vision.
“The
services
and
rates
we
are
able
to
provide
due
to
the
structural
differences
between
Scale
and
traditional
law
firms
really
benefits
startups
and
small
businesses,”
says
Duvanich.
For
Duvanich,
the
prospect
of
getting
to
bring
value
to
multiple
rather
than
just
one
organization
was
especially
attractive,
as
is
the
fact
that
she
has
control
over
what
work
she
chooses
to
do.

Duvanich
also
appreciates
the
fact
that
a
large
number
of
Scale’s
attorneys
have
an
in-house
background.
“Attorneys
with
significant
experience
in-house
are
well
situated
to
provide
practical
and
efficient
guidance
shoulder
to
shoulder
with
our
business
partners.
Efficient
guidance
is
important
to
all
clients,
but
it
is
especially
important
to
startups.
I
am
able
to
handle
most
of
what
my
clients
need,
and
I
have
colleagues
that
are
able
to
fill
in
any
gaps,”
says
Duvanich.

Jamie
Wells
is
a
litigator
hailing
from
Biglaw
who
joined
Scale
right
in
the
middle
of
the
pandemic.
Her
transition
to
Scale
from
a
large
law
firm
was
“seamless
and
my
days
now
feel
like
my
days
used
to
feel,
with
the
exception
that
I
have
a
lot
more
ease
and
time,
and
that
allows
me
to
actually
be
better
at
providing
service
to
clients,
building
teams,
networking,
and
expanding
my
own
business.”
For
Wells,
working
in
a
team
is
critically
important,
and
she
has
found
that
at
Scale,
in
spades.
“Culturally
it’s
a
great
fit
because
everybody
is
remote,
so
it’s
very
easy
to
actually
connect
in
a
way
that
I
wasn’t
expecting,”
says
Wells.

When
Wells
first
started
at
Scale,
she
was
constantly
approached
by
other
Scale
attorneys
with
the
question
“What
can
we
work
on
together?
And
that
was
so
important
to
me
because
I
like
working
on
teams,
I
like
building
teams,
I
like
sharing
work,
sharing
credit.
And
across
the
board,
everybody
at
Scale
shares
that
mentality.”
Wells
recommends
Scale
for
“somebody
that
is
hungry,
wants
to
take
their
career
into
their
hands
and
do
what
they
think
is
right
for
them.”
As
to
her
own
decision
to
join
Scale,
Wells
says
“I’ve
completely
bet
on
myself
and
succeeded.”

Women
in
law
like
Heather
Cantua,
Amy
Duvanich,
and
Jamie
Wells
are
now
driving
an
entirely
new
way
to
practice
law.
They
are
actively
building
successful
practices
at

Scale
on
their
own
terms:
promoting
themselves
and
building
a
stronger
book
of
business;
exercising
autonomy
to
choose
the
“who
/
what
/
where
/
when”
over
their
work;
achieving
self-defined
meaning
and
purpose
in
their
practices;
and
keeping
more
of
the
things
they
love
while
shedding
the
things
they
want
to
leave
behind.