When you're in a minority, there can be a feeling of isolation. I'd like to see that be a thing of the past for every member of the bar. The first thing the BBA can do is ensure that in phase I its membership and its leadership mirror the composition of the legal community. At the second phase, and this is in the long term, the BBA can help the legal community mirror the community as a whole. The choice I've made is always to put my daughter's needs first, and then I work with my husband to try to strike a balance between professional demands and other home demands.
Balance is the key word.
I make sure that every day I have some quiet moments with my husband, and some time with my daughter. So we certainly can keep the pressure on to ensure that law firms and law offices remain mindful of personal demands on their attorneys. A BBA Task Force has been working on these very issues for the last two years. Right now, the BBA Task Force on Professional Challenges and Family Needs is on the cusp of issuing its implementation plan. That plan is expected to contain a variety of concrete suggestions for ways in which firms and law offices can accommodate the personal needs of their attorneys.