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It’s mind-boggling, how a young mother can work full-time in the demanding legal profession. But Jessica Yeung and Anne Lau have managed to find an ideal work-life balance. The two lawyers at the Vancouver office of Borden Ladner Gervais LLP (BLG) share everything except their name-plates and in-trays: They have the same assistant, computer monitor and desk. And their clients are happy with the set-up as they are billed for the price of one lawyer, but have access almost 24/7.

The two women have been job sharing since January 2008 without a glitch.

Yeung, 37, came to BLG as an associate in 2002. Lau started working at BLG just before her, full-time for two years. Both women practice in general trademark but Lau went to another firm, although the two women stayed in touch and became close friends. For a number of years, Yeung was the only lawyer at BLG Vancouver taking care of the trademark practice. She was putting in a lot of hours.

In 2005, Yeung became pregnant so she decided to take a year of maternity leave. She needed a replacement and 35-year-old Lau was hired on a one-year contract.

“Fortunately, Anne was free at that time so she was able to cover for me,” said Yeung. “A few months into the job Anne told me she was pregnant — our son’s ages are one year apart — so when I came back in June 2007, Anne was about to deliver.” Talk about good timing.

The whole idea of job-sharing stemmed from a conversation the friends had before Lau’s departure. “We were chatting about how our lives were going and our future plans, both for career and family,” said Yeung. “Anne said she would like to come back to BLG on a part-time basis, to get some work-life balance.

“I think a lot of women need that, to get in touch with the world. And I had that same idea in the back of my mind. But I came back from mat(ernity) leave [to work] full-time and that year was exceedingly busy.”

Yeung hired a nanny for nine hours a day, who could also do the cooking and cleaning. That meant she could arrive at the office every morning at 7:30 a.m. and leave around 5 p.m.

“It was hard spending that much time away from the little guy, I felt guilty,” she said. “I wanted to spend more time being a mother.”

Six action-packed months later, she remembered that conversation with Lau.

“I called Anne and within a week she agreed to come back to work on a part-time basis,” said Yeung. She had told her boss, Douglas Copland, that the job had become too demanding and she didn’t think she could hold on for much longer. Yeung proposed the job-sharing arrangement to Copland and he was amenable to the idea. Lau was able to pick up Yeung’s caseload and keep some of her own clients.

“I was confident it would work. They are both top-notch professionals and I knew they would be a really good team,” said Copland. “They are almost interchangeable.”
Copland said he would have been open to the idea even if Yeung had brought in someone unfamiliar with the company. “I trust Jessica and I support her. Our biggest asset is our people, so it is important they are happy here.”

It also helped that the women’s legal skill sets were at the same level and that Lau had already worked at BLG — she was familiar with many of its clients. As a result, it was a smooth transition. Lau and Yeung didn’t need to spend any time together at the office, but they phoned each other several times a day. They still phone, “but it is just like talking to a friend and I don’t see it as work,” quipped Yeung.

As for client feedback on the job-sharing, “If anything, it might improve client relationships because there are two people to cover the bases,” said Copland. “One of the challenges a lawyer faces is that there are so many marketing opportunities and it is difficult to be everywhere. So in this case, two are better than one — they can cover more ground. And because the office is never empty, clients feel more secure, knowing someone is always there.”

Talk about coincidence — both women are pregnant again. Lau’s last day will be near the end of July and Yeung will work until the end of August. BLG has hired another lawyer full-time for a one-year contract to take over the pair’s files.

Would job sharing work for anyone, in any situation? Yeung said that for her and Lau, the success of their arrangement has to do with “chemistry” and their style of work. In other words, job sharing has to be looked at on a case-to-case basis. According to Yeung, the criteria needed for job sharing is the lawyers’ willingness and dedication, and client service must be priority. Having the same skill set is something that can be learned.

Lawyers are becoming more concerned about work-life balance. While it’s likely the younger generation of lawyers will consider sharing jobs, you probably won’t think about it if your kids are in high school. “Male or female, we all value our families and lawyers may want to have a choice,” Copland said. “As well, when you have someone valuable in the firm, you try to find a way to make it work.”

“This job sharing arrangement is unique and we are grateful that BLG has been supportive,” added Yeung. “Policies are in place so we can adjust our work-life balance, lead a happy life, be productive and provide excellent client service. I think that allows hard-working, high-quality professionals to stay with the firm.”

Yeung said if she had to choose between full-time work or no job at all, she would choose the latter. Lau agrees that her priority is family, but she also wants to stay in the legal field.

“Being able to job-share was ideal for me — I wouldn’t be working otherwise,” Lau said. “My son is almost two and I am expecting another so I don’t foresee changing this relationship anytime soon.”