In celebration of Women’s History Month, The Chicago Bar Association interviewed several all-stars from our March 6th Working Women’s Legal Summit about the issues facing women in the legal profession today and some secrets to their success. We will close out the month with a series of posts featuring these interviews.
Below is our featured interview with Cailee Alderman, an attorney with the Lopez Law Group.
Q: What is the most pressing issue facing women in the law today?
A: The stress of everything that comes with being a working mom. It’s not just the balance of work and children, but also the balance of housework, meal preps, scheduling/attending appointments, practice/games, and just spending quality time with your partner and kids.
Q: What is one thing a mentor has helped you learn in the course of your career that you would like to pass on to other women as they navigate the legal profession?
A: That’s it’s okay to want to work/go back to work after having children. AND it’s okay to want to be home more with your children. You’re not less of a Mom for enjoying working and you’re not less of an attorney for wanting to spend more time with your children; everyone has to find the right balance for them at each different point in their live.
Q: What is one thing you do to achieve a sense of balance between your professional and personal life?
A: I think working helps me be more balanced. I feel I’m a better mom after I’ve been at work and have had the intellectual stimulation and adult conversation that I need (right brain activity). Then I can come home and fully devote my “silly” attention to my children, play pretend, do crafts, etc. (left brain activity that we don’t always get to exercise through our legal careers).