Survey of Government Attorney Parents

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
(1) Are you part-time, full-time, flexible schedule? Do you ever work from home? How much flexibility do you have? Do you keep 9-5 hours or a different schedule?
My hours are flexible.

(2) What is your stress level? Are you challenged by your job?
Stress level = medium but fluctuates depending on assignment. Like any job, some aspects are challenging, some are not.

(3) Do you feel like you are a better or more "present" parent because of your job?
YES!

(4) Are the benefits all that they are hyped up to be?
They are wonderful benefits: healthcare, lots of leave and flexibilities.

(5) Do you ever wish that you worked at a firm? Why or why not?
HELL NO.

All of this said, each agency is different. I am in the process of leaving one agency to go to another. The "old" agency is not at all conducive to working parents (or people who have lives other than work) and has been very rigid and old-fashioned on things like AWS and telework. New Agency is a model for both and for work-life balance.

(6) Are you happy with your job and home life (and so-called work-life balance)?

(7) Is there anything that you would do differently knowing what you know now?

I think it's hilarious that you are touting an agency that you haven't even started working for yet as a model for work-life balance. Maybe it'll work out great for you, but I'd reserve judgment until after you've actually worked there.

I don't know why you would find it hilarious. It is the model and constantly in the news because of this. And, maybe you accept jobs w/o having discussed these matters, but I have not. Work-Life balance was stressed -highly stressed- in both my interviews prior to being offered the job. I had the chance to talk to staff attorneys and supervisors.
So, laugh away . . . or piss off. Either way, I don't care.

[Anonymous]

The point is that every agency says that they are a model of work-life balance. I have never interviewed anywhere where the people who worked there didn't say there was a good work-life balance. Sometimes it's true, and sometimes it's not.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The point is that every agency says that they are a model of work-life balance. I have never interviewed anywhere where the people who worked there didn't say there was a good work-life balance. Sometimes it's true, and sometimes it's not.

Every agency doesn't say that. My current one does not.

And, unless there is some sort of conspiracy from staff attorneys, supervisors and the media, I seriously doubt it. But, I suppose anything is possible.

[Anonymous]

The point is that every agency says that they are a model of work-life balance.

I can guarantee that my prior section of DOJ would not have said that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What? I thought Fox News said federal government workers were overpaid compared to their private sector counterparts. You must all be mistaken . . . . you are getting paid MORE in the government, right? I mean, the news wouldn't like about something like this, would they?

That is only true for certain job catergories like administrative assistants, budget analysts, program analysts, etc. For those of us who are lawyers, CPA's, economists, engineers, in the long run we arent make jack crap to what we would in the private sector. But an admin assistant could be making 90k! So thats where the salary inflation comes from.

[Anonymous]

I'm the AUSA that posted before. I probably have one of the worst work-life balances of the gov't lawyers I know. I definitely do not tell prospective hires that when I interview them, even if they ask directly. It's wouldn't be in my interest for management to hear that I'm saying negative things about the office or to be discouraging to potential new colleagues who could end up lightening my workload. I'm sure I'm not alone in my self-interest.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What? I thought Fox News said federal government workers were overpaid compared to their private sector counterparts. You must all be mistaken . . . . you are getting paid MORE in the government, right? I mean, the news wouldn't like about something like this, would they?

That is only true for certain job catergories like administrative assistants, budget analysts, program analysts, etc. For those of us who are lawyers, CPA's, economists, engineers, in the long run we arent make jack crap to what we would in the private sector. But an admin assistant could be making 90k! So thats where the salary inflation comes from.

Very true. There are admins and custodial workers that make $80-90K.

[Anonymous]

(1) Are you part-time, full-time, flexible schedule? Do you ever work from home? How much flexibility do you have? Do you keep 9-5 hours or a different schedule? I am full time at home 40 hours a week with bonuses depending on productivity and paid overtime on occasion

(2) What is your stress level? Are you challenged by your job? Stress level is very low. I'm not really challenged but I'm ok with that

(3) Do you feel like you are a better or more "present" parent because of your job? yes. I have a lot more time to be with my kid and have a good salary

(4) Are the benefits all that they are hyped up to be? Not really. We are on my husband's health plan b/c his is less expensive and covers more than any fed plan. As far as the 401(k) and leave, yes it is awesome. I also work for an agency that allows us to do maternity comp time so we can earn extra paid time off above our regular leave. I also am in the 8 hour leave category so I actually end up donating lots of leave at the end of the year. I take off plenty for vacation each year too.

(5) Do you ever wish that you worked at a firm? Why or why not? I haven't worked at a firm. The only time I wish I would have done it is when I go to a CLE in my broad area of practice and hear about what is going on and think it would have been interesting to work on some of that other stuff. I have a really narrow focus within my practice area.

(6) Are you happy with your job and home life (and so-called work-life balance)? Absolutely.

(7) Is there anything that you would do differently knowing what you know now? I would have worked in a firm in the late 90's for a few years and then came back to the agency where I am currently working, just for the exposure to a broader practice area.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

(1) Are you part-time, full-time, flexible schedule? Do you ever work from home? How much flexibility do you have? Do you keep 9-5 hours or a different schedule?

Full Time. I can work from home two days a week. Lots of flexibility (I am currently on 6 months maternity leave). When I return to work I will work from 7am-330.

(2) What is your stress level? Are you challenged by your job?

No stress. I am not challenged at all. It is kind of disappointing.

(3) Do you feel like you are a better or more "present" parent because of your job?

I don't know this yet since I haven't returned to work. I would think that I would be more present than if I was working in a firm since I am not at work until 9pm at night.

(4) Are the benefits all that they are hyped up to be?

I don't think the actual benefits are that awesome, but I guess I have really had some good private industry jobs. I pay more for insurance with the gov than I have at any other job. I also have less vacation than I have had at any other job..but I don't have to work on weekends or after I go home for the day

(5) Do you ever wish that you worked at a firm? Why or why not?

Sometimes because I think it would be more interesting. I am not really passionate about my job. I think I could be passionate at a firm (at least I would hope I could!)

(6) Are you happy with your job and home life (and so-called work-life balance)?

I was before we had the baby! Hopefully I will be when I go back.

(7) Is there anything that you would do differently knowing what you know now?

[b] Not so far.

[Anonymous]

I'm the AUSA that posted before. I probably have one of the worst work-life balances of the gov't lawyers I know. I definitely do not tell prospective hires that when I interview them, even if they ask directly. It's wouldn't be in my interest for management to hear that I'm saying negative things about the office or to be discouraging to potential new colleagues who could end up lightening my workload. I'm sure I'm not alone in my self-interest.

I'm at main justice and I tend to take a different approach. There are a plenty of attorneys who would like this job, so someone is going to be hired to lighten my workload if we are interviewing. I tell prospective hires the truth about work-life balance. I have mostly great things to say about my office, but the work-life balance is tough, and I don't think my management would hold it against me for answering a question about that honestly. When I interviewed here, people were honest with me about it. I don't think it is in the best interests of the office to take on an attorney who doesn't understand what the demands will be and accept them. It's bad for the attorney being hird and bad for the office otherwise.

[Anonymous]

(1) Are you part-time, full-time, flexible schedule? Do you ever work from home? How much flexibility do you have? Do you keep 9-5 hours or a different schedule?

Full time, flex schedule (9.5 hours every day and one day off per pay period), telework FOUR loooovely days a week. It is awesome. I am expected to keep my regular hours.

(2) What is your stress level? Are you challenged by your job?

Stress level is medium now that I'm more senior, and I do feel challenged by it, way more so than when I first started.

(3) Do you feel like you are a better or more "present" parent because of your job?

Absolutely. Leave isn't frowned upon at all as long as your work is up to par, and the generous teleworking benefits really help with work-life balance. When I'm in the office, I spend my lunch break mindlessly surfing the Internet or chatting with friends. When I'm at home, I can do laundry, prep dinner, and do basic picking up so that I can be fully present for my kids when they come home and not worried about getting dinner on the table, etc.

(4) Are the benefits all that they are hyped up to be? They're pretty great. I love my health plan (although it's not cheap, it's worth every penny), dental is meh (but who really has good dental anyway). Obviously there is no paid maternity leave in the federal government, and my agency is not one of those who has a leave bank, so if you want to be compensated during maternity leave you have to take annual/sick leave.

(5) Do you ever wish that you worked at a firm? Why or why not? HELL to the NO. I won't get rich doing what I'm doing, but I get to be home at bedtime every night, I am there in the morning and I don't work on weekends unless I want to. My blackberry isn't ringing off the hook all the time and I'm not on antidepressants. My SIL works for a huge firm in Manhattan and she hates her life and I hate it for her.

(6) Are you happy with your job and home life (and so-called work-life balance)? Yes, yes, a thousand times yes.

(7) Is there anything that you would do differently knowing what you know now? No. I really lucked out with my agency. Not the kind of work I pictured myself doing, but I'm in it for the long haul now.

[Anonymous]

20:06 again ... to answer OP's second question, yes I was aware of the flex time and telework policies when I interviewed and both were huge factors in my deciding to accept the offer. I didn't have kids at that point but figured these benefits would be much appreciated when I did have them, and I was right.

To the AUSA who doesn't disclose the work-life balance issues there, I agree with the main justice poster who said that this is the sort of information that should be disclosed, otherwise you risk hiring someone who might quit right away. That said, if someone is silly enough to interview for an AUSA job without being at least dimly aware of the hours, then they probably are not the right hire anyway.

[Anonymous]

part-time (80%), low stress, great work-life balance. 3 days in the office and one day teleworking, one day off.
I wouldn't go back to the firm even for double the money. I was at a top firm in NY and it was rather hellish.
Only drawback of this job is that about 20% of the time it is boring. But the 80% makes up for that, not to mention the awesome schedule.
I have missed a bedtime for work reasons about 5 times in 5 years.

[Anonymous]

Another AUSA here. Any applicants who come in asking about work-life balance aren't going to make it very far in our interview process because it's a red flag that the person is just looking for a way out of a shitty firm job and not really passionate about being a prosecutor. And I say that even though I think the work-life balance is pretty awesome, if you want to be a trial lawyer. It's the only trial lawyer job in this area where you have interesting work and virtually no travel.

[Anonymous]

OP here again. Thank you so much for your honest and informative answers.

One final question. Without revealing more information than you are comfortable revealing, can you please tell me which agencies you believe are the most family-friendly (in terms of flex schedules, telework, part-time options) and which agencies are the least? I realize that much of this depends on the divisions and supervisors within those agencies, and would love it if you would get as specific as you can.

It seems to me that DOJ (including US Attorneys' Offices) are less family friendly because of the litigation work, but I would be more than happy to stand corrected.