November/December 1997

Young Lawyers Can Have It All

by Michael G. Atkins

 Young lawyers can "have it all" as long as they are clear about their personal priorities.  That is what Court of Appeals Judge Mary Kay Becker told 25 young lawyers at a YLD Practice Conditions Committee reception October 22 in Seattle.

Judicial independence means judges must do justice, even if their decisions are unpopular.  “Judges have to be free in their hearts and not want to be loved,” Judge Becker said, quoting recent remarks by former Justice Robert Utter.  “Judges have to know what they are doing is for the right reasons and not in response to external pressures.”  Judge Becker said the same is true for young lawyers.  Lawyers are free to reject expectations associated with the traditional career path if these expectations do not fit with who they are.

Judge Becker encourages young lawyers to reject unhealthy expectations in the profession and foster healthy ones.  “You can't always live by the mirrors other lawyers are holding up,” she added.  “People may say you are not a real lawyer because you work part-time or have a lot of parental responsibilities or devote time to other interests.”  Lawyers who take a primary responsibility for the care of children can feel especially undermined by the traditional image of a “real” lawyer as someone who devotes twelve hours a day twelve months a year to practicing law.  As more women have entered the practice of law, the face of law gradually changes to accommodate and accept flexible schedules, and the traditional stereotypes erode.  At some point, she said, she hopes it will become unnecessary to have these sometimes agonizing conversations about whether it is possible to be both a real parent and a real lawyer.  “You have to know when you are being healthy and the models you see around you are not.  Be the kind of lawyer that fits the priorities you see as important.”

That philosophy has led Judge Becker down an unusual career path; one she says was not planned in advance.  Looking back, she said most of her occupational choices were driven by a desire to do interesting work, to be involved with public policy, and to enjoy a sense of esprit de corps.  After graduating from Stanford University in 1966, she got involved in environmental advocacy.  That work led to running for office.  Judge Becker ran for, and was elected to, the first of four terms in the Washington State House of Representatives in 1974.  Having previously worked as a paralegal for Legal Services, she went to the University of Washington School of Law over a five year period while continuing to serve in the Legislature, obtaining her law degree in 1982.

Her two children were born in 1979 and 1982. After staying home for a time, she began practicing law part-time as a sole practitioner in 1984, office-sharing with two other attorneys.  She then was an associate at a Bellingham firm, primarily working in civil litigation until 1994 when Governor Lowry appointed her to Division One of the Court of Appeals.  In between, she reduced her hours in 1991 in order to be able to serve as a State Redistricting Commissioner, and also served at various times as a member of the Western Washington University Board of Trustees, the Whatcom County Council, and other boards and commissions.  In November 1994 she was elected without opposition to a full term on the Court of Appeals from the district that includes Whatcom, Skagit, Island and San Juan Counties.

Michael G. Atkins is an associate with Gregory S. McElroy, P.L.L.C. and a member of the Young Lawyers Practice Conditions Committee.