Is it possible to be a part-time lawyer?

Confirming my decision to leave law firm life is the current issue of Washington Lawyer. The magazine contains an article, "Part-Time Partners," that simultaneously laments the low number of part-time partners while profiling five attorneys for whom the part-time partnership track has worked. However, it is clear that "part-time" is not real world part-time. Rather, it is simply a way to lower your billable hour requirements which, in Washington, D.C., are outrageous to being with.

A few excerpts highlight the true nature of being a part-time lawyer (partner or otherwise):

"[Making a part-time arrangement work] means working long hours or during vacation when needed, and never making clients feel they can't reach [you] at certain times."

"Of course, no 'time-off' is really off. Even though [Partner] works part-time, she employs a full-time nanny....[Partner] also keeps a finger on the pulse of her cell phone and BlackBerry."

"[Partner], who works a 50 percent schedule at [large D.C. law firm], works hard at keeping his arrangement invisible to clients."

I will include additional excerpts in a separate post that illustrate the stigma of part-time arrangements in a competitive legal environment where the typical partnership track is 8-10 years.