Jennifer L. Barton shares her insights in addressing the challenges and questions that have impacted women in the legal profession.

Jennifer concentrates her practice in the areas of real estate, finance, and corporate law, representing a wide variety of clients. She has comprehensive experience in routine to complex real estate matters ranging from sales and acquisitions, financing, leasing, development and management of commercial and residential properties.

Q. According to the American Bar Association, women now make up a majority of law school students in the United States: 55.3% in 2021. That is an increase compared to 2000 when women represented 48.4% of law students. How will this trend shape the future of the legal profession going forward?

A. I am hopeful about this statistic. The more diverse a firm is the more we can problem solve more effectively and creatively for clients, which leads to new ideas and new ways of doing things. Our industry tends to be slower to evolve with societal shifts, but I am hopeful this change will push law firms to adapt to this new reality. If there are more women in the industry, and more women serving in management roles, law firms will need to be more flexible with alternative work arrangements, greater child care options, and better leave policies. The demands of the law are not going anywhere, but there could be better support structures for lawyers, and I think women are better positioned to understand what those support needs are. I think the pandemic helped a bit, working from home was not a concept previously embraced by most law firms. As a parent of three young children, having flexibility to work from home is really important. Many women are not as good as men in negotiating for themselves for higher pay or advocating for themselves in their work lives, but women excel at speaking up for other people. The more women attorneys there are, I think the more we can speak up for each other and move women more into the forefront of the profession.

Q. In your opinion, what is the most important challenge that women attorneys face today?

A. For me, the biggest challenge is juggling a demanding career with family needs. I enjoy being an attorney but it's still hard. I am part of the sandwich generation: I have three young children and aging parents. My dad was diagnosed with stage iv cancer last year and passed away earlier this year, and I have felt the burden of trying to help my parents along with other family and work responsibilities. I don't know if it's genetic, or biological, or societal, but I feel more familial responsibility: making sure my kids are signed up for things, having dinner on table, and so forth, as well as caring for my parents. My husband works full time and does just as much of the childcare as I do, but I feel the burden of responsibility is still placed more on women than men.

Q. How can firms help overcome those challenges?

A. Robbins DiMonte was extremely supportive of me following my dad's cancer diagnosis just before my third child was born. I came back from leave with a whole new set of challenges and the firm has been excellent at responding and people around me have stepped in and helped out on matters when I was needed somewhere else. It's really important for firms to allow for flexibility and to have good leave policies, as well as be supportive and understanding when these things arise. I think my firm and my colleagues have done a great job. I will be forever grateful for that. My advice to attorneys when choosing a firm is to be mindful of their culture and approach. Having more women in the room talking about the issues is important: when people talk about it, firms can understand more and better implement policies that attract and retain top female talent.

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