United States: Working Mother Of The Year: Morgan Smith

In 2021, Seramount (formerly Working Mother) recognized Morgan Smith as a "Working Mother of the Year." Morgan focuses on trademark and false advertising litigation for some of the world's most renowned brands, representing clients in a diverse range of industries. She also maintains an active pro bono practice, representing clients in Silicon Valley in landlord/tenant disputes. In addition to her successful career as an attorney, Morgan is a mother to two beautiful children and notes that one of the most valuable lessons she has learned is the importance of making motherhood visible at work.

How do you balance being a mom with working with high-level global clients? (i.e. time zone differences).

I don't "do it all," but it all gets done.  I delegate, both professionally and personally, so that I can focus on the things that I want to do (or have to do).  I also compartmentalize my time.  I work during work hours and focus on my family during family time, which helps me feel like I am doing my best in both worlds.  Lastly, I use time changes to my advantage.  Because I am on the West coast, I often finish things in the evening after the kids go to bed so that colleagues, clients, etc. on the East coast can pick them up in the morning.

Do you have strategies for managing young children and a demanding career?

Prioritize, prioritize, prioritize.  Before I had children, I was not a very good delegator and felt it was easier to just handle things myself.  That all changed after having kids because they depend on you for e-very-thing, and there simply aren't enough hours in the day.  I learned very quickly that there are things that only I could do, things that I wanted to make sure I did, and things that I could do (but someone else could as well).  I've applied these categories to both my personal and professional lives, delegating where I can so that I can focus my energy where it's needed (and where I want to focus it).    

Put family time into your work calendar.  It helps me visualize my days and blocks off the time so that others don't schedule meetings during it!

Plan ahead and communicate your time commitments to your colleagues and family members.  For example, at work, my teams know that, barring an emergency, I am not available during the dinner/bedtime hours; I will be back online later if needed.  At home, I give my husband as much notice as possible when there are days I need to work through dinner/bedtime.  This helps him plan easier meals that he can manage solo with the kids.

How has motherhood changed you as an attorney?

Becoming a mom has made me so much better at thinking on my feet and quickly adjusting to changed circumstances.  The skills necessary to answer a toddler's never-ending "why's" or diffuse a temper tantrum are surprisingly transferrable to the legal profession. 

How do you balance your professional goals with your personal goals as a mother?

I give myself grace.  In moments where my preferred balance feels "off" (like one of the kids is home sick or a case is in the middle of intense discovery), it can be easy to lose sight of the bigger picture.  I remind myself that nothing lasts forever and that tipping the scales one way or another in certain moments is not a reflection of my overall balance.

In what ways has the firm supported you as a mother and as a professional?

Finnegan has been very supportive of working motherhood by keeping motherhood visible in the workplace.  It really helped me to observe and learn from the many women we have in leadership positions who also have families.  I also really appreciate the firm's use of Milk Stork, which allows breastfeeding moms to ship their milk home while away on work travel.  It is an incredibly useful program that supported me in how I chose to feed my children.

What advice would you give to a new mother/attorney?

Embrace the fact that your working hours come in chunks throughout the day (and evening, and night).  Before I had children, my goal was always to "sign off" at a certain time to delineate between work and home.  That's no longer feasible for me, particularly with young children who require my attention in the mornings and early evenings.  Adjusting to that way of life was very difficult for me, and making peace with it has reduced my stress at work during the day (knowing that I will finish things later) and allows me to be in the moment with my family.

Everyone has a "village" what does your look like (include apps, services, etc.)?

My village starts with my husband.  In addition to his job, he handles a lot of the household responsibilities and looks after the kids when I have long nights and or need to work a weekend.  My parents and in-laws are also very important.  They stepped in to take care of my son while daycare was closed for several months in 2020 due to the pandemic, and help out when the kids are sick, when one of us has to travel, etc.  Now that daycare is open again, we have an excellent program that the kids attend full-time during the week.  Our wonderful house cleaner keeps us from drowning in a sea of LEGOs, crumbs, and pet hair.  My husband and I stay coordinated with a shared calendar and to-do list.

In what ways is being a working mother different from what you expected?

Becoming a mother gave me such clarity on what I wanted to do with my legal career.  Once I had children and increased demands on my time, I took a hard look at what I was doing at work, away from my family.  I initially thought that decreasing the amount of work I was doing (and increasing family time) was the answer.  But the exact opposite turned out to be true.  I shifted the kind of work I was doing, to time-intensive litigation, and am much more fulfilled.  I love the work that I do, and it makes me a happier, more complete person, which in turn makes me a better parent.  

Walk us through your typical day.

It's a doozy!

Wake up around 6:30am.  Check email, put away dishes and ready kitchen for the day.

Feed my daughter (4 months) around 7/7:30am.

My son (almost 3) wakes up around 7:30am and has breakfast with my husband while I finish feeding my daughter.  After I finish feeding her, I help my son eat breakfast and get him dressed and ready for school while my husband makes his lunch.  My husband leaves for daycare around 8:15am.

Quick shower right after the kids go to school, eat breakfast, "arrive" at home office around 9am and start working.

Work until about 10am, which is the first of my 3 daily pumping sessions.

Pump from 10-10:30am; bag, label, and store milk; back to work.

Work until my 1pm pumping session.

Pump from 1-1:30pm while eating lunch; bag, label, and store milk; back to work.

Work until my 4pm pumping session.

Pump from 4-4:30pm; bag, label, and store milk; back to work.

I leave to pick up the kids from daycare at 5:30pm, while my husband cooks dinner.  We eat around 6pm.  I feed my daughter around 6:30pm and get her ready for bed, while my husband gives my son a bath and gets him ready for bed.  Both kids are usually in bed by 7:15pm.  After they go to bed, I clean up from dinner, unpack their daycare bags, wash bottles, and start any laundry that needs to be done.

I generally head back to work at about 8pm to finish up for the day and try to sign off by about 9pm if possible.  After that, I relax and spend time with my husband.  Then I feed my daughter one last time before I go to bed at around 10:30pm.

You have a day off, no work deadlines or kids, how do you spend it?

I would take a yoga class, go out to brunch with my husband, and watch a movie before an early bedtime!

Do you have any funny parenting while working from home stories?

Daycare was unexpectedly closed one day, so my husband and I were scrambling to trade off watching my son while we were both working from home (during the pandemic).  It also happened that the summer associates had started that week.  I was leading the Palo Alto program and needed to attend a virtual welcome event at the same time my husband also had a meeting.  My son elected to join my meeting, behaved himself for all of 2 seconds, and then proceeded to knock EVERYTHING off a bookshelf in the room for all to see.