We need all genders in the workplace operating under the default assumption that both parents are equally invested in child-raising. When that happens, the mindset changes.

What is your biggest challenge in balancing career and family?

I’m currently facing the challenge that having a second child shortly will impact my career much differently than having my first child did over six years ago. Back then, I was still a senior associate, and my career responsibilities at that point were very different. As a partner, I’m typically running cases or I have the main client relationship. So figuring out the right balance between career and family as I go on my second leave—which, for me, will be a flexible leave based on my obligations to those clients—is a little more challenging this time around because I take maintaining and advancing those relationships seriously.

How does Pillsbury fare in recruiting women and advancing them to partnership and leadership roles?

Pillsbury has many women in very visible leadership positions—women on the board, women on our compensation committee, women in the important, powerful roles who impact the success, advancement and compensation of other attorneys at our firm. These advancements did not occur by accident. There was intention, because it was and is important to the firm that not only are these roles filled by the most qualified individuals, but also that the firm benefits from diversity in background, experience and thought of those individuals.

What advice would you give to a woman who aspires to be a partner at a law firm and also wants to start a family?

We all know this is a very demanding profession. If family and parenting are important to you and being a partner is too, make sure you’re thinking about the long view, making a plan and committing to it. You have many years to succeed in your career; you likely have a much smaller window of time to start a family. You don’t want to look back and discover that—due to a self-imposed timeline that may not make a huge difference in the long run—your career goals totally consumed your family goals.

Much has been done to shift norms and to ensure women who take maternity leave stay on an advancement track. Has enough progress been made?

More progress is needed. The biggest change would be to simply adopt a much more egalitarian attitude toward parenting. That doesn’t mean a universal 50/50 split—each family needs to figure out the right balance for themselves—but we need all genders in the workplace operating under the default assumption that both parents are equally invested in child-raising. When that happens, the mindset changes. There’s less implicit bias because both the concept of parental leave and the perception of who handles parental responsibilities are no longer attached to gender.

Stacie Yee is an Employment Law partner in Pillsbury's Los Angeles office and serves as the firm's Executive Chair for Diversity & Inclusion. She has two children.