Kristin Shirahama Quoted by the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce in “How Billable Culture in Law Firms Impacts Female Advancement”

June 3, 2020

In the legal profession, advancement and achieving status as a partner is tied to the number of hours an attorney can bill. This culture of “billable hours” favors employees whose primary loyalty is to their profession and often tips the scales in favor of male advancement.

The Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce explored gender inequities in law firm culture and spoke with Kristin Shirahama who discussed an additional challenge female lawyers face when trying to log as many hours as their male counterparts.

Kristin stated that “women lawyers report that they’re more often tapped for critical internal firm efforts, work that is viewed as less important as billable work for the purposes of compensation.”

Continue reading “How Billable Culture in Law Firms Impacts Female Advancement” on the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce website to learn whether the billable hours measure of success will change, if millennials will be the ones to change it and if remote work and the ability to stay connected during “off hours” helps or hinders females in law firms.