Last week we published Part 1 of How the FLSA Hurts Women which discussed what women want from the workplace, and some reasons why they are leaving the workforce when it does not accommodate their work-life balance needs. In this part, we will be discussing business trends and business needs in general. Part 3 will discuss how the FLSA works against businesses' being able to provide women with attractive work options, thus hurting women and businesses. Continue Reading ›
EDITOR'S NOTE: This is the second in the three-trimester blog series Diary of a Pregnant Lawyer – Pregnancy in the Professional Workplace. The first blogmester is here. On December 22 (after she wrote her last "blogmester" post, which we'll publish later this month), Mallory gave birth to Margot Eleanor Ricci. Congratulations, Mallory!
You have survived the first trimester! Many consider the first trimester to be the hardest of the three (I respectfully disagree and will elaborate more in the upcoming Third Blogmester post).
If you spent the first trimester escaping to your office for 30-minute power naps, escaping to the bathroom for vomit sessions, or escaping to the fridge for some craving-satisfying snacks, things may be looking a little better for you now.
Unless you’re like me, and the fun times are rolling for a little while longer.
In any event, this second 12-week period is considered to be the easiest. But that doesn't mean the second trimester doesn't come without issues, some of which involve the place where professional women spend the majority of their time – work!
Let’s read about some other practicing attorneys’ experiences during the middle of their pregnancy and see if this trimester is as uneventful as it seems . . .
"I was six months pregnant with my first child, and huge. I was at a hearing in the judge’s chambers. Opposing counsel asked when I was due, and I said in three months. The male judge looked at me in amazement and said 'are you expecting twins?' I said 'no,' and he was hugely embarrassed. Needless to say, I won the hearing."
"I may be one of the only women who HATED being pregnant. (Or at least one of the only ones to admit it.) I was grouchy, to say the least. However, with that grouchiness came a positive. For approximately 25 weeks (after I went public in the office), I reveled in the fact that the men completely left me alone. I got more work done those 25 weeks because our male dominated office at the time treated me like I had the plague. It wasn’t mean--it was for their own safety and self-preservation. I was spared the hour-long football story distractions and petty arguments that come along with practicing law with an office full of brilliant A-type personalities. My partners also took advantage of my 'grouchiness.' I was the one who was always picked to have the controversial phone calls with opposing counsel (also men). It was a great way for me to vent my irritation--and useful, too, because we were preparing for trial all that summer with a very difficult opposing counsel. Needless to say--I usually got my way, and my husband enjoyed the fact that I was a little nicer at home!"
"While I was pregnant, opposing counsel was pregnant, too. Under the state rule, the duration of a deposition is severely limited, and I ended up having to ask the Court for additional time because of the number of bathroom breaks that my opponent took. She opposed the motion, but I was granted the additional time." Continue Reading ›
Sharpen Your FOCUS offers timely insights into the legal and practical dimensions of DEI, accessibility, and belonging in the workplace. Drawing from both employer and employee perspectives, we explore emerging topics, shifting legal interpretations, and the real-world impact of inclusive leadership. Thanks for joining the conversation.
