Women Supervisors: The Danger of Micromanaging

Lately, I’ve started to wonder if women are more likely to be ineffective managers than men. I think, after mulling it over for a few days, that women (who we already know have to work harder to get into positions of power) might have perfectionist complexes that go past the objective and into the subjective, which might make them difficult to work under.

For example, I have a friend who has been complaining to me about his boss (a woman). He says that she likes to be kept “in the loop” on everything he does, including minor emails, and that she will often correct him in front of others or send clarifying emails following his emails that mostly say the same thing he said but in different words. (i.e. he’ll send out an email that says “We’re meeting in the conference room at 10. Please bring your case materials” and she’ll send an email that says “Just to clarify, all the members of the team will be meeting. Please bring your drafts of the memo.”) He can’t stand his boss. At first, I thought he was just chafing to work under a woman or that, if anything, this particular woman was a bit of a micromanager.

I had the issue in my head though, so I started noticing things around my own office. Last week, I had to get a few documents approved by one of my female supervisors, and she made me go back and forth with several minor, subjective changes (i.e. I wrote “individuals” and she wanted “people”). I thought of my friend and started to wonder whether female supervisors feel the need to vouch more for their employees than male supervisors, which then leads to a painful degree of micromanagement. In my case, the document was not that important, and I was actually signing my name to it, so my supervisor wasn’t publicly linked to it at all. Why, then, the need to have me make several superficial wording changes?

Getting back into work after taking some time with your kids

I recently attended a symposium on work-life balance where the keynote speaker was Deborah Epstein Henry.  She was there to talk about her FACTS program.  In a portion of her talk, Debbie mentioned some current initiatives at Big Firms aimed at helping with the work-life balance concerns of women.  Most that she mentioned, I was aware of already because of blogs like Ms. JD.  Most were programs seemingly aimed at making the unbearable billable hours requirements more bearable or aimed at creating reduced-hour alternatives for lawyers.  However, she also mentioned that some firms are putting into place initiatives aimed at bringing back their "regrettable losses" -- i.e. attorneys that leave the firm that the firm wishes would have stayed and that may be in a position to come back at some point in the future.  One such program is the "Sidebar" initiative at Skadden and, frankly, I am not sure how I missed it. (JDBlissblog.com covered it last month here.)  You can find some information on it on Skadden's Women's Initiatives page here even though I think the program is not just for women.  According to the site:

Through Sidebar, attorneys in good standing may decide to leave the firm for any number of personal reasons for up to three years (more than the six-month maximum permitted under a leave of absence), with the expectation that they will return to the firm at the end of that period consistent with the needs of the firm and their department. The firm expects and encourages Sidebar participants to remain connected, for example, by attending certain firm-sponsored events and gatherings and continuing legal education programs.

This is not intended to be a plug for Skadden but more of a head's up to other law firms.  I think this is genius.

Ms. JD Summer Book Series: Women Lawyers: Rewriting the Rules, by: Mona Harrington

Women Lawyers: Rewriting the Rules, by: Mona Harrington

Mona Harrington, a lawyer, tackles issues that face women lawyers head on in 'Women Lawyers: Rewriting the Rules.'  According to Harrington, women lawyers "are on dangerous ground," in that they are connected with the the male legal establishment and to women as a larger group, but are not at ease within either group.  This is an interesting premise on which to base her writing, and Harrington expands on this idea through the compilation anecdotes and experiences taken from interviews with more than 100 female attorneys. 

Harrington gives a great deal of attention to women in the corporate law setting, the effect that father-daughter relationships have on a woman lawyer, and women as litigators.  She also delves into familiar issues for readers of Ms. JD such as proper attire for women lawyers and the unique experience that women have as law students.

As one reviewer wrote, some of Harrington's "topics deserve further analysis, but Harrington provides much food for thought."  (Publishers Weekly)  This is an interesting read, however, for Ms. JD readers on many topics very close to home, with a few interesting analytical twists.

Ms. JD Weekly Round-up: Week Ending June 27, 2008

Pennsylvania Bar Association Report Gives Snapshot of Women Lawyers' Progress

Australian Business Reports that Glass Ceiling Still Firmly in Place

Canadian Lawsuit Alleges Sexist Practices of One of Canada's Top-Tier Law Firms

Australian Firm Gilbert & Tobin Beats the Benchmark for Promoting Women

Breaking Free: In Pursuit of Setting a Work-Life Balance - Canadians are Downing Blackberries, Declining Overtime and Daring to Do Less

Private Profession in Australia is Still Excluding Women from Partnership Positions

I am a Feminist Because ...

I am a Feminist because I believe in gender equity. While acknowledging that there are real and perceived differences between men and women, I don't believe these differences justify disparities in their treatment.

I think it's important to explain why I am a Feminist because a lot of people associate Feminism with other values - with extremism, with elitism, with activism, with exclusivity, with anger. There are famous Feminists who have visibly advanced those values: abolitionists, prohibitionists, suffragists, etc. Many were brave and pioneering. Many were controversial. Many made mistakes. I know that I invoke their memory when I adopt their label. But "Feminist" is defined not just by its past usage but by those who presently identify themselves as such. I'm proud to share responsibility for the continued evolution of the term.

For me Feminism is not a cause, it's a perspective. I do not think there is a single issue of public or private concern that does not impact women. But not everyone who considers these issues thinks about their gender-specific effects. My Feminism helps inform how I view war, poverty, sickness, politics, education, business - you name it. It is not the only perspective I carry with me - I'm also young, Western-educated, a former artist, an attorney, etc. - all my experiences color my viewpoint.

I know that others don't share my perspective despite sharing my label. I know that others don't share my label despite sharing my commitment to gender equity. I'd be interested to hear from the full spectrum. How do you define Feminism? How do you identify yourself?

Here's another perspective to help get you started.

Off Track in Academia

While I can't pretend to be in the know about the gender politics of legal academia, an interesting study was brought to my attention by the FeministLawProfs today.  The study, the largest of its kind, found that

"[Women academics] are deeply frustrated by a system that they believe undervalues their work and denies them opportunities for a balanced life. While the study found some overt discrimination in the form of harassment or explicitly sexist remarks, many of the concerns involved more subtle “deeply entrenched inequities."

Even as somebody who is not involved in academia, I have always been keenly aware of the higher percentage of women in the non-tenure track positions and in positions of service, such as assistant deanships and counselors.  I recently had a discussion with an aspiring professor who informed me that many women take non-tenure track positions just to get their foot in the door of academia later to find out that it is nearly impossible to jump from one track to the other.  This is very similar to the track of "staff attorney" which is a non-partnership track at many large firms.  There too, it is nearly impossible to jump the tracks. 

However, the similarities between the numbers for women in academia and law firms are striking.  Believe it or not, in a statement criticizing the study, the university at which the author of the study works said this about it the progress of women on its faculty:

Women account for 43 percent of assistant professors, 37 percent of associate professors, and 22 percent of full professors. Those figures are going up in science and technology fields too, [the school] noted, and women now are 37 percent of assistant professors, 31 percent of associate professors and 18 percent of full professors in those disciplines.

Boy, this "progress" looks very similar to law firm numbers where women are 47% of junior associates and 18% of partners.  Hmmmm.

Don't Forget the Summer

As I typed a client letter today at work, I realized for the first time that it is the middle of June already! As I have sat at my desk for the past month, the warm haze of summer has set in, but I have only seen it out of the corner of my eye as the sun shines in to my office window. Granted, I am working full-time at an amazing legal services agency, and I have been taking classes at school part-time so that I have less of a load during my last school year, but I realized that I have been unable to engage in any of the frivolous activities of summer thus far! I have yet to don a bathing suit, or even a pair of shorts. My always fair skin has yet to need a substantial dose of sunscreen. This is not good.

I am sure that we sometimes feel as if we are more busy this summer than during the school year. Despite complaining all year long about the stresses of the classroom, it almost seems safe now--to hide behind my laptop screen and relax in the safety of being one student among eighty others. Now, I am one of eight clerks and there is nowhere to hide if I botch a memo or write a bad letter. I almost miss the hours set aside for studying, where I had the ability to stop for ten minutes and check Perez Hilton in between 150 pages of casebook reading. Now, I fight myself for 8 hours a day to try and bill six hours! I quickly scan assignments over dinner before my evening class. THIS is summer vacation?

And the worst of it is that my kids are having a BALL! And they should. They're kids and it's summer. They go to the pool, the zoo, our science center. But they are doing all of this with the nanny and my heart is full of jealousy when I get home and kiss their greasy faces that have been slathered with sunscreen for a day of fun without me. I love my job and enjoy the work that I do, but I can't help thinking about what kind of memories my kids will have of childhood. Will I be a part of that, or will it just be thoughts of their time with our nanny?

Ms. JD Summer Book Series: Flux, by: Peggy Orenstein

Flux: Women on Sex, Work, Love, Kids, & Life in a Half-Changed World 

One of the great discussions that women today have, not only on the Ms. JD forum, but also among friends, at work and with their families is how they are going to "have it all."  And, perhaps more importantly, what "having it all" means for them. 

In 'Flux', Peggy Orenstein explores these questions and more, through a narrative based on a compilation of conversations she has had with over two hundred women, at varying stages of life.  Ranging in age from twenty-five to forty-five, these women have shared with Orenstein their personal opinions, struggles, and triumphs concerning such varying topics as, well, sex, work, love, kids and life.

Ms. JD Reader, be advised, this book is not exclusively about women lawyers.  This, however, can be a refreshing quality.  Not that one gets tired of hearing about women lawyers - this is posted on Ms. JD, after all.  Rather, it is somehow comforting to know that women in diverse professions are facing the same issues.

Ms. JD Weekly Round-up: Week Ending June 20, 2008

Allegheny County Bar Association's Gender Equality Unit Targets Pay Disparity

Cynthia McClain-Hill, Esq., Top L.A. Lawyer, Noted Public Policy Counselor, Chosen to Lead the United States' Largest Organization of Women-Owned Businesses

International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA) Donates Food Items and Money to Orphans in Nigeria

New Brooklyn Bar Association President Diana Szochet Reflects on a Life of Involvement

Commentary: Expanding Work-Life Balance Issues - Fathers Seek Work-Life Balance Too

Jurist Sandra L. Lynch's Career of Firsts Hits a Milestone as She is Being Sworn in as Head of Appeals Court

Playing the Gender Card

An advertising campaign by an all-woman law firm was brought to my attention by AboveTheLaw today.  The firm is Schroder Joseph and Associates, a boutique labor and employment law firm, and the ad campaign plays squarely on gender stereotypes with taglines such as "Ever Argue with a Woman?" and "Labor Pains? Talk to us.  We're women... we get it."  The controversy is also covered here and here.

I have to admit, that I agree with some of the commentors to the ABA Journal article, the ads are funny, catchy, memorable and remarkable.  Therefore, I would say they are effective advertising. However, what are they effective at and what sort of message does the reciever of the advertising message leave with?  I'm left with the following ideas and impressions -- SJA is an all woman firm (neutral); they aren't embarrassed about that (positive); they think that this is an advantage worth advertising (negative).  My response to the idea that the firm sees this as something worth advertising is negative because I am not sure that it is an advantage.  I can't be somebody that thinks that gender diversity is good for law firms and, at the same time, think that an all-woman firm is better than others, can I?  I recognize the strengths of men and the benefits of diversity.   I would hire an all woman firm to represent my company but I don't think that I would hire such a firm BECAUSE they were all women and I don't think we as women should be encouraging that either.

I get that the ads are supposed to be funny.  I also get that the ads are intended to play on gender stereotypes.  Does a profit-making business take out ads just to "be funny"? Nope, not unless they intend for that humor to attract business.  I just don't see any other explanation for it.

What do others think?

6/05- My first case

These next couple of posts are from last week, but I did not have internet access so bear with me on the lag. Thanks.

            I was going to wait until there was another step in the matter that I am dealing with, but so far it has been adjourned three times so I am not optimistic that it will happen any time soon and want to get these thoughts down while they are fresh.

            TP assigned me my first case. It was a double rape, which in SA has a minimum sentence of life. He handed me a file with transcripts in it and it was my responsibility to read through and find loopholes, inconsistencies, and areas of possible appeal. The transcripts are terrible. They are apparently taken by a machine that records the sound and then someone transcribes them. However, between the bad acoustics, the language barrier of having everything done through a translator and I’m not sure what else, half of what is written in the transcripts is [inaudible]. I found this made it very difficult to figure out what everyone said was happening. However, what I could piece together showed glaring inconsistencies in the story told by the victim. You see, in this case the entire case was built around the comparative credibility of both witnesses. When I read the part of the court document titled “judgment” it listed the court’s opinion on the credibility of each witness and in the absence of eye-witness testimony and forensic evidence this is what the court made its decision on exclusively. I agreed with the judgment that the accused’s story and his answers did seem a little inconsistent, however, there were some serious inconsistencies that were glaring to me. Most notably, in her initial statement to the police, the complainant had said that she was only raped once and then in court said she was raped twice. This inconsistency would change the minimum sentence from something less than mandatory life to life. I wasn’t sure at first, but after I read it a couple times, I was convinced that this guy was getting screwed.

            After this revelation, I brought this information to TP. The next day we went to prison to consult with the accused.

Ms. JD Summer Book Series: The Young Lawyer's Jungle Book

Ed. Note: KHernan881, a regular contributor to Ms. JD, has agreed to sub-in for the regular Ms. JD Summer Book Series writer this week with the following review of The Young Lawyer's Jungle Book. Ms. JD's regular series should be back next week.

The Young Lawyer's Jungle Book: A Survival Guide, 2nd Edition by Thane Josef Messinger is the subject of this week's book review -- a little off track of what we've been reading so far this summer but hopefully, you'll find it useful nevertheless!

There are a bunch of advice books for new lawyers out there.  This one came highly recommended to me by a senior associate acquaintance. So I read it, admitedly in small doses about a chapter at a time until I could get through the whole thing.  I will say that I read it slowly not because it wasn't interesting but, let's face it, this is a professional advice book, not a novel, and you can only take so much advice in one sitting.

Overall, I think this was a worthwhile read for a new associate in a big law firm.  Mr. Messinger gives very practical advice in a no-nonsense kind of way. He tells it how it is in manner that isn't apologetic or politically correct.  (It is perhaps a little male-focused as he hides a little bit from the issues when he discusses gender politics in firms or gender diversity in the profession.)  By and large, I think the advice is sound and something that was worth the effort and time and would have been valuable before my summer associate job or a great read between the bar and starting work at the firm.  Some things are common sense but those things likely differ for each reader.

Seeking A Just Balance: Law Students Weigh In On Work and Family

A Better Balance: The Work & Family Legal Center is publishing a study, Seeking A Just Balance: Law Students Weigh In On Work and Family.  The study is a survey of NYU law students and their expectations around work/life balance.  Generation-Y lawyers – American men and women born between 1978 and 1998 – are extremely worried about these issues and are willing to trade money for time.  

The demand for work/life balance is greater among both men and women than in the past.  Family life is a high priority for today’s young attorneys, and they do not want to make the same sacrifices for their careers as their parents did.  It’s not about the money anymore, but about the big picture in their lives.

The study found that as firms have competed for talent over the last ten years, salaries have increased exponentially.  The result of that is an increased expectation of availability and billable hour requirements.  They offer “lifestyle perks” designed to keep people at work instead of flexible time that would allow workers to be with their families.  Up-and-coming lawyers would rather trade money for more personal time, and will leave for a pay-cut if the result is less time at work.  Many respondents commented on how the private sector works attorneys to death, and that if they are required to put in 80 hour work weeks or stay until others leave so that there is face time, they will leave the firm.

This is not a new trend, but represents a shift in cultural values in Generation Y.

Ms. JD Weekly Round-up: Week Ending June 13, 2008

Headlines Theatre & the University of British Columbia Faculty of Law Showcase a New Performance: "WOMEN IN LAW: An Interactive Theatre Event About Culture, Gender & Law"

Betty Roberts, Oregon's First Female Court Justice, Shares Her Story in a New Book (Ed. Note: Watch for this book to be featured in the Ms. JD Summer Book Series.)

All-Female Buffalo Law Firm Accentuates the Feminine in its Ads

Activist Lawyer Jean King Saluted by the Veteran Feminists of America

Veteran Feminists of America Honors Feminist Lawyers Featuring Justice Ginsburg

El Paso Attorney Kathleen Walker to Join Council on Foreign Relations Task Force

Creating Domestic Labor Equality: "When Mom and Dad Share It All"

Why I decided to go on my first real diet while studying for the Bar.

All advice I received for bar study strategy said that you eliminate all obligations, responsibilities, and distractions from your life before BarBri starts.  Bar study, I was told, will demand every brain cell and every free minute of your life.  On the first day of BarBri a rep from the company even told us that we shouldn’t take time to grocery shop or get hair cuts and that we should basically outsource every aspect of our lives to our personal support system of friends and family.

I took this advice to heart.  I prepped my spouse for months and months before hand that I wouldn’t be available to help with family responsibilities.  I warned my family that they wouldn’t be hearing from me and that I would be absent from all events for three months.  I was ready to disengage from life with the exception of my books, notes, and practice tests.

Here’s the thing with this strategy, I am better at juggling four balls than three.  I perform better when I am busy and multi-tasking.  I think that many women are like that.