Attorneys: Most and Least Family Friendly Federal Placements?

[Anonymous]

Which, in your observations, are the most family friendly and least family friendly placements/offices/agencies for govt lawyers?

[Anonymous]

My husband works at the FDA and it has a great telework policy if he needs too. He also has a scheduled day each week he teleworks. Its great! I know there are other agencies that are more flexible but this is a huge improvement from his life at a firm.

[Anonymous]

Most family friendly has to the the USPTO. After the probationary period, you can work from home 40 hours a week. It is the only place in the feds where you can earn maternity/paternity comp time. There is also the opportunity to earn regular comp time to use for vacations. You can work a maxiflex schedule or a 5/4/9 or a 4/10 schedule. Trademark lawyers also have the opportunity for bonuses each quarter. I don't know about Patents.

Trademarks may be hiring next year. Keep looking at USAJOBS. For Trademarks the only requirement is being a lawyer. You don't need to have a science or technical background, that applies only to Patents. For Patents you need the science, engineering or technical background but you don't need to be a lawyer.

[Anonymous]

A litigating attorney in most divisions of the USDOJ has to be the most grueling option. I'm most familiar with Criminal and Tax divisions, and they are gone from home on travel, a lot.

Certain traveling people in the enforcement division of the SEC are gone for weeks at a time, too.

And then there's the JAG corp in the military; same deal. trials, trials, trials.

[Anonymous]

Not all of DOJ is like that though.

I think that most of HHS is family friendly.

[Anonymous]

EPA is fairly friendly though it can depend on who you work for.

The telework policy, however, specifically provides that teleworking is NOT a substitute for child care/babysitters. IOW if you're caring for your child you're not working during that time, so those distinctions should be made.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:EPA is fairly friendly though it can depend on who you work for.

The telework policy, however, specifically provides that teleworking is NOT a substitute for child care/babysitters. IOW if you're caring for your child you're not working during that time, so those distinctions should be made.

as it should! nothing more annoying than a colleague who is "working from home" and taking care of their kids.

[Anonymous]

14:26 here .. .that's why I pointed that out ... ;-o