Making It Work as a Lawyer and a Mom by Leslee M. Cohen, a principal at Chicago-based law firm Much Shelist.

I was trained by a renowned attorney at a prestigious securities boutique law firm in New York City for six years, and then decided to move back to Chicago in 1997. After receiving a number of enticing employment offers, I chose Much Shelist, a midsized, full-service firm. I was honest before accepting the firm's offer, expressing that I had met the love of my life and wanted to start a family. I intended to be an involved parent, but I also wanted to maintain my career. In short, I wanted work/life balance.

Now, here's the best part: the firm embraced me then and has continued to do so for the past 11½ years! Fortunately for me and other women who practice law at Much Shelist, management believes in hiring highly qualified attorneys who will provide reliable service and add value to their clients' businesses. This strategy has served the firm well, which will come as no surprise to my readers. However, I still consider myself a very lucky woman to have found such a place to practice law.

So, what does work/life balance entail for me? I work three days per week, at home and/or in the office. On the "work" end, my law partners have always treated me with immense respect, in terms of both the high level of assignments I receive and my ever-changing schedule. It has always been my goal to continuously earn that respect, no matter how overwhelmed I become in all of the various roles I play in my life. I try to recognize when to change my schedule based on the needs of my colleagues and clients. I also strive to give back by chairing the firm's Women's Initiative and serving on the Board of the Coalition of Women's Initiatives in Law Firms, a dynamic organization created to unite the efforts of law firm women's initiatives throughout Chicago.

On the "life" end, I have been a room mom for one of my two little boys since his first day of preschool. I am there to cuddle feverish foreheads and I have rarely missed a Little League game. Yes, there have been difficult moments—scheduling a last-minute play date so that I could draft an emergency contract; juggling an exhausted toddler in one arm while counseling a client by cell phone in the other; asking my husband to run home to relieve the babysitter because I just couldn't. However, it's all worthwhile because I thoroughly enjoy both facets of my life.

Here's a story that sums it all up. Recently, a mother in my community was shocked to learn that I work at all, because she had always perceived me as someone who was constantly with my kids. That same week, a client was equally amazed to discover that I only work part-time given that I have always responded immediately to his legal needs throughout our 10-year relationship. The truth is that if your employer values your talents, and, in return, you respect the business needs of your employer and clients and recognize how fortunate you are, work/life balance is most definitely attainable.

Leslee M. Cohen, a principal at Chicago-based law firm Much Shelist, advises clients on a broad range of federal and state securities law matters, including corporate governance, ethics and executive compensation issues. Cohen is Chair of the Much Shelist Women’s Initiative.