THE EVILS OF “ELASTICITY”: REFLECTIONS ON THE RHETORIC OF PROFESSIONALISM AND THE PART-TIME PARADOX IN LARGE FIRM PRACTICE

This Essay is an examination of part-time arrangements at large law firms. The author sets out to start a conversation about professional life and identity in a large firm context.. Part I looks at the commercialization of large law firm practice and how that has created a “crisis” in legal practice. Part II compares the “tyranny of the billable hours” with the dedication to “client service.” The author considers part time work with both of these elements.

Part III confronts the cultural obstacles to part-time work. Here, the author acknowledges that even the analysis is accepted there are still cultural tensions that would restrict open, creative, and productive conversations about the work-life balance. Ultimately, the author proposes that part-time arrangements can serve not only as an alternative voice in large firm culture, but also can contribute to a “renaissance” of some of the legal profession’s most dearly held values.