Dear Undecided: I do not think there is a right or wrong answer here, and largely it will depend on your personal circumstances. I am happy to discuss my personal experience though. I am the proud mother of two young boys. After my mat leave with my first born ended, I was able to use my advocacy skills to convince my mom she should commute from the Sunshine Coast (Powell River) on a weekly basis to spend more time with her grandson. I am so incredibly thankful she agreed and I will forever be indebted to her. What is better than having your own blood look after your own child? It gave me piece of mind that when I went to work, the only stress I had, related to my work life. I had absolutely no stress about my young…

Dear Judged – I get it.  I have young kids at home who are involved in many afterschool activities.  It can be a real struggle to balance professional obligations with these family obligations. Before having kids, I took long lunches or worked out in the middle of the day and then returned to work and stayed until after 7 p.m.  I didn’t feel the pressure to get home to start my “second shift”. Now, I routinely come into the office late after dropping my kids off at school or rush out of the office to take one of my kids to an after-school activity.  Over time, I have learned not to be apologetic for my schedule.  I don’t hide the fact that I have kids at home.  I have obligations to my family and to my clients and colleagues.  I…

Dear Happy at Home: I love this question! It is so relevant to each of us working remotely and feeling guilty about how much we enjoy working without a commute and all the distractions of the office. It also follows my reading an excellent article in the NY Times on this very issue. In my view, this ask of your law firm is a balancing act. After COVID-19 I expect law firms and other employers will be more open to such a request as long as you can show how this will benefit you and your relationship with your clients and other members of the firm. For example, if you can show how this arrangement will improve productivity (imagine the extra time you have to work when not travelling to and from the office) and save the travel costs and…

Dear What’s it All About: This is a question that most of us ask ourselves daily, am I here yet? As I get older I realize the only place I can live in is the present and each day I have to find a way to like where I am at. This doesn’t mean I don’t plan for the future or take lessons from the past it simply means I need to accept where I am at today otherwise I will never be satisfied.

Dear Are We Catching Up: This question is such an important one for women in the practice of law. While I think we have done a pretty good job over the last 10 years or so to bring attention to the need for equality, we are far from finished with this issue.  Recently I came across Dylan Jackson’s “Women, Minority and LGBTQ+ Attorneys Still Struggle to Rise Within Law Firms” article which cited the 2019 Inclusion Blueprint, a collaborative study by legal diversity organizations Diversity Lab and ChIPs.