NALP Sees Decline in Part-Time Lawyers at Law Firms for First Time in 17 Years
The percentage of lawyers working part-time at law firms declined slightly in 2011, the first drop since the National Association for Law Placement began compiling the figures in 1994.
In 2011, 6.2 percent of lawyers were working part-time, compared to 6.4 percent in 2010, according to a NALP press release. More than 70 percent of the part-timers were women.
The findings are from the 2011-2012 NALP Directory of Legal Employers, made up of listings from primarily large law firms.
Ninety-eight percent of law firms allowed part-time work in 2011, but nearly half of them barred entry-level associates from using the arrangement. Of counsel, staff attorneys and other lawyers who aren’t working as partners or associates have the highest rate of part-time work, at nearly 21 percent.
