Interview of Heather Weisser ( University of Southern California law student who is concerned about balancing children and work)

Q: Ok. So we have it on the tape state and spell your name first.

A: Ok. My name is Heather Weisser. That is HEATHER WEISSER.

Q: Ok. When you get out of law school, pass the bar, and get your first job how many hours a week do you expect you will be working?

A: Well, I always thought that lawyers worked about 80 hours a week and when I was interviewing for my summer job I talked to firms it seemed that people worked about 60 to 70 hours a week. So I think as a first year attorney about 80 hours might be what I'll be looking at.

Q: That's a lot of time.

A: I know.

Q: Not a lot of time for a life.

A: I know. I did work before I came to law school and the hours could get up there. I worked for a lobbying firm and the legislature was in all night. We were up all night, but I think it's a little intimidating to imagine working that many hours and I wonder how long I'll be able to keep it up but I wanted to go into the legal field because it was very intellectually stimulating and I knew long hours would be part of that. I was hoping that it would also be exciting enough that the adrenaline could keep the activity level up and keep the energy level up so that I would be able to do it for a while anyway.

Q: Do you hope to marry and have children?

A: I do. When I first started looking at law school I was 19 and those thoughts were not really in my head so when I had all of these great ideas about being a litigator and making partner in a law firm I don't think that that was really something that I was thinking about, but by the time I graduated law school even I will be in my mid to late 20's and I'm already starting to think about marriage and children and it's something I definitely want and plan on doing.

Q: Can you do them both?

A: I don't really know. I have heard mixed reviews on that. I have spoken to women attorneys both attorneys who have stayed at law firms and women who have moved on to other kinds of legal jobs and the people who stayed at the law firms definitely said that it is difficult and you need family who can support you and help you to do it. And I think it will be a life style decision at some point as to what kind of mother I want to be or wife I want to be, but I want to try. I wish it would be possible to be able to have all of that.

Q: You would like to have all of that.

A: Yes.

Q: Does it seem daunting? Does it scare you?

A: It scares me a lot. I don't like the idea that I came to law school with these goals and dreams and then I just might not be able to do it. I think that when I see the number of women who do leave the law firms it sends the message that I can't have it all and there are only those few who manage to keep going that give me some hope. It is a scary idea that I won't be able to finish what I started.

Q: It seems like there is something very unfair about this. I mean you don't see the men having to give up anything.

A: I know. I definitely think it is unfair. That's why I talk to women attorneys when I want to know if it's possible to have everything and I wish it wasn't this way still and I thought maybe by the time I got through law school things would be changing a little bit. Maybe they are changing but it's still very lopsided.

Q: What have you heard and I realize you are a law student, but what have you heard about firms and their policies? Most say that oh yes we give leaves for things like pregnancy.

A: Well I have heard that they do give leaves for women who want to leave and also for fathers working at the law firms can get parental leave as well, but as far as when it is time to come back for me as a woman if I leave to have a child firms say they have part-time policies but I have heard that they are not necessarily encouraged or taken advantage of and I've seen numbers as to how many people at a law firm take advantage of those part-time policies and it is usually only one or two people in an entire office so it doesn't look like a real option although I think most firms I look at say they have those programs.

Q: If you could have everything what would everything be?

A: I would like to be able to have my family and also my legal career and my dream was to make partner in a law firm and to stay at a law firm and I would like to be able to do that but also see my family not just have one. So my ideal would be to be able to be home for dinner with my family every night and to still be able to work on the exciting cases or the big cases that come into whatever firm I'm working at. To feel like I actually have a full career but also have that time with my family. To feel that I'm actually part of the family in raising my children.

Q: As you continue in law school and you learn more about the practices of various legal firms do you ever have a secret fear that maybe you went into the wrong profession?

A: I do think about that but I just wanted to be a lawyer for so long so it is hard to regret that decision, but I wonder about my dream of being a lawyer at a law firm. I wonder if I will be able to sustain that dream although I know there are other areas in the legal field but perhaps do not have as long hours as working in a law firm.

Q: Do you think you will be able to get most of your dream right?

A: I don't know. I'm really hesitant to say yes or no to that. I don't see that a lot of people are able to have what I want or to attain that to have that balance. It's hard without seeing other people achieve that to know how I would ever be able to achieve it.

Q: I realize all our questions are very speculative because you have not lived the life yet.

A: Right.

Q: How would you feel if you had children and you continued in a high powered career while your husband took care of them? Would that work for you or would you feel cheated?

A: I don't think that I would feel cheated. I think it would be wonderful to have a husband support me in that way but I say that now before I have children. It's very possible once I have children I will feel like I'm missing out on everything if I can't be there at least for dinnertime and get the kids ready in the morning but I think it would be wonderful to have a husband who could help out but in terms of working the long law firm hours I still think I would miss out on an awful lot. My boyfriend though is actually going into the legal field too so it would be an interesting balance to have two lawyers. If he would be willing to put his career on hold for me I think it would be wonderful but.

Q: Whatever happens do you think you can make it work? Do you think you can get what you want?

A: It really is just a big question mark. The signs say no. From what I can see the answer is no, but I hope things could be different if people, if law firms would be more accepting of women's choices to what to have both I think that things could be different.

Q: What key ingredients would go into making law firms more accepting of women's attempts to balance family and job.

A: Well at least from what I have heard part-time is not really an option and by part-time I think I only mean 9 to 5 just a normal workday for other sorts of jobs and if law firms were more encouraging of those policies I think that wanting to leave a firm to have a baby and spend some time with that child should not mean that I cannot come back or that that part of my career is over. I think if firms would be more inviting to say you can take time but you are welcome back. And welcome back at a more reasonable schedule. I think it would make the partnership track much longer and that's fair but to just say that you cannot make partner is troubling.

Q: Do you think it would be helpful if there were more women in more positions of power in law firms?

A: I think it would help but I don't know what it would take at this point to get them there. I think part of the problem is that women want to leave to have their families and so there just aren't as many women staying around to get into those higher positions. And I'm not sure if once they get there that will help make the difference because they are the ones that made it. Sorry, I guess I'm not sure.

Q: In general, are you optimistic or pessimistic about balancing family and career? Or do you just don't know?

A: I'm really not sure. I'm trying to be optimistic because I'm just starting out. I really don't want to go into my career thinking I'm never going to make it. I'm never going to make it. I want to be optimistic and try to work it out and try to get over the hurdles as they come and it's only talking to so many people who have said they couldn 't do it or didn't want to do it that make me wonder if I will end up saying those same things.

Q: Ok. Thank you very much.

A: It would translate more if I then wanted to actually go into more policy work but I think it does translate in that I'm very interested in the law and working at a lobbying firm helped me see, I worked for nonprofit clients too so it was much more about the issues in Connecticut actually in Hartford. Seeing the laws made was very interesting but then going to law school I really just love learning everything about the law. I more like the idea. Most of the women who come (unintelligible) have had husbands who either worked from home or have flexible jobs. Maybe a professor something where the hours were more flexible so that they had that support.