Pumping, Parenting, and Performance: Navigating Billable Expectations as a New Mom in Law

Returning to work as a new mother is challenging in any profession. But in corporate law—where time is literally money and every six-minute increment is accounted for—the adjustment can feel especially unforgiving.

New York State has made meaningful strides to protect breastfeeding parents in the workplace. I’m legally entitled to a private, secure space to pump as needed throughout the day. In practice, this often means two to three 30-minute sessions daily, adding up to roughly seven hours per week.

Here’s the problem: those hours, though protected, are not considered billable. And in a profession where productivity and performance are measured almost exclusively by billable hours, that time—essential for both my child’s health and my own—is effectively invisible.

The consequence? To stay on track, I often find myself logging back in after bedtime, sacrificing weekends, or accepting that I may not hit my targets. And with missed targets can come missed bonuses, delayed promotions, or a quiet erosion of professional standing.

In theory, the law supports me. In practice, the structure penalizes me.

What’s especially frustrating is that this tension isn’t the result of overt discrimination—it’s embedded in the way law firms are designed to function. The system assumes an “ideal worker” who is always available, never interrupted, and fully billable during business hours. That model leaves little room for caregiving, and even less for the invisible labor that parents—particularly mothers—shoulder every day.

I'm not sharing this to voice a complaint. I'm sharing it because it's a conversation our profession needs to have. There's a disconnect between the promises of the law and the way workplace metrics function. In this gap, many of us are silently sacrificing our families, our careers, or both.

I love being a lawyer. I also love being a mother. It should not be a radical idea that I can pursue both without structural penalties.

Until we rethink how we define productivity and performance—and recognize that time spent caring for our children has value, even if it doesn’t appear on a timesheet—new parenting attorneys will continue to operate at a disadvantage.

The legal profession prides itself on precision and fairness. It’s time our systems reflected those values—not just in statute, but in culture and policy.

If this resonates with you—or if you're helping shape policy in your firm—I'd welcome the conversation.