Navigating the corporate jungle as a lawyer mother
Feeling like a carry opossum on a Monday morning?
I hear you. During my years in big law firms I met many corporate lawyer mothers saying that
“the start of the week is like being burdened with the weight of the world“
just like marsupials carrying their young.
With the colossal difference that in the pouch, there are also relationships with loved ones, yourself, situational dilemmas, and perhaps even an ex-husband with whom to share parenting on different educational bases.
The demands of the legal profession combined with the responsibilities of motherhood are overwhelming. Period.
I experienced feeling stretched thin as I juggled professional and personal life.
No more. But I understand deeply that feeling when I meet it.
As the week begins, you are faced with a myriad of tasks and obligations, from client meetings to endless amending and drafting, all while managing your children’s schedules and needs.
Like a carry opossum, you navigate through the corporate jungle with determination and resilience, carrying not only your workload but also the emotional weight of balancing career ambitions with family commitments.
Bloody heavy, isnt’it?
At the beginning you think you’re capable to lift all the weight. Despite the challenges, there seems to be a remarkable strength that you possess.
You demonstrate resourcefulness and tenacity.
And that’s the problem.
It’s a tenacity that is the enemy of awareness.
Because you are so engulfed in the succession of tasks, your tenacity in completing them prevents you from focusing on where to invest your energy.
You might find creative solutions to complex problems, multitasking with precision and grace, all while nurturing and supporting your family.
But at what cost?
In the legal profession, where success is often measured by big deals and rankings, it can be easy to overlook the invisible workload shouldered.
Who is validating the interpretation of workload and balance?
We should discuss this aspect. Shall we add it to the list of unadjusted differences to review together?
Giusy Falco
I help top-tiers corporate lawyer mothers, freshly separated, juggling with a high-demanding career and day-to-day responsibilities, so they can enjoy both their dream life and profession. Without dropping a ball. Get in touch!