“To Everything there is a Season” ~ The Lifelong Lawyer: Maximizing Legal Acumen, Earning Power, and Personal Fulfillment throughout the ‘Seasons’ of Practice

On November 6, 2024, the Women In Law Committee of the Salt Lake Chapter featured a panel discussion with three attorneys of faith who are also mothers: Candace Andersen, Julie Slater Crane, and Marcia Fuller Durkin.  These women shared their thoughts and personal experiences on balancing the practice of law and motherhood while strengthening families.  

Anderson, Durkin and Crane each found themselves in the legal profession for different reasons but all articulated that demonstrating Christlike virtues is possible in the practice of law. All three panelists also stressed that regardless of how women attorneys are currently using their legal education, they can leverage their legal training during all seasons of life to accomplish great work.  

Candace Andersen, who serves on the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors in California, USA, knew from a young age she was going to be a lawyer. However, the path to get there took faith and inspiration.  Many family members were attorneys, and she grew up attending legislative hearings with her mother in Hawaii. Inspired by these good examples, she became an attorney in part because she was concerned by the small number of women who shared and articulated religious values similar to her own.  

Commenting on her choice to both practice law and raise a family, Andersen stated, “There are many tracks an attorney can take, including serving in public or elected office.  For those of us who have chosen [the public service] path, we have the opportunity to create and implement laws, set public policy, and make decisions where we can promote fairness and virtue and professional excellence.”  

Andersen said that the single most influential factor early in her career was a talk by fellow attorney, James E. Faust, at a devotional address in1985 at Brigham Young University titled, A Message To Our Granddaughters.  In this address, Faust said, “it would seem that you cannot do all . . . things well at the same time. . . You cannot be a 100 percent wife, a 100 percent mother, a 100 percent church worker, a 100 percent career person, and a 100 percent public service person at the same time.” 

Andersen explained that this message taught her she could fill many different roles in life sequentially. Thus, at one stage, a female attorney may emphasize career, and at another, marriage and nurturing young children.  She also acknowledged that at any point, an attorney will be aware of what is missing. However, Andersen also stated that “[i]f you are lucky, you will be able to fit everything in.” 

Marcia Fuller Durkin is a partner at Kunzler Bean & Adamson in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA, specializing in intellectual property, patents and trademarks.  After graduating from law school, she met and married her husband and started a family. Her husband also decided to go to law school and having two attorneys in one household led the couple to frequently choose increased flexibility at work over other areas such as compensation.  Durkin’s faith helped guide her when she was worried whether she was maximizing her legal opportunities.

Durkin also shared that even while raising her children, she never stopped practicing law.  She “always kept a foot in the door even if it was only a few hours a month,” and was glad she had the ability to continue working. Her drive, combined with flexibility and faith, led to many opportunities in the law.  With the guidance of the Spirit of God, she knew how to proceed in her legal career and benefit her family.

Durkin noted that to make this type of situation work, women need to be willing to take risks. For example, Durkin took contingency cases that were out of her comfort zone.  She also stated that at times her life was more of a juggling act. Yet guidance from the Lord helped her in the process.
Julie Slater Crane, a shareholder and data privacy expert at Kirton McConkie in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA, stated that hard work speaks for itself. Crane also explained there are plenty of roles in motherhood that are also helpful in the practice of law, such as relationship building and managing a team. She asserted that combining the traits of motherhood in the practice of law makes her a better attorney. 

Crane also noted that for both men and women, the practice of law can take over other areas of life so it is important to set boundaries and be willing to adjust during different phases. 

The panelists’ messages of identifying a clear purpose in practicing law, learning to be flexible, and combining character strengths from other roles with a legal practice provided helpful perspectives for many of the listeners seeking to fulfill employment commitments and family responsibilities.  

For men and women alike, balancing law and family while exemplifying Christlike ideals is an ongoing process, and members of the Women In Law Committee of the J. Reuben Clark Law Society are committed to supporting all Law Society members in these efforts. To learn more about members of the International Women In Law Committee, click here.  To learn more about Women In Law efforts in your area, please contact your local chapter chair.