Law Practice
Jun. 16, 2026
What caregiving taught me about being a better lawyer
A working mother and law firm partner reflects on the "fourth shift"--the invisible, unbilled labor of caregiving--and argues that the skills it demands are not a distraction from professional success but an essential part of it.
Jessica K. Lomakin
Partner
Best Best & Krieger LLP
Phone: (909) 989-8584
Email: Jessica.Lomakin@bbklaw.com
There are many ways to describe life as a working mother and lawyer. Busy is one. Full is another. Rewarding is technically accurate, although it's usually said through clenched teeth while reheating my coffee for the third time.
I often think of my life as shift work... except, I'm working all three shifts. Lately, I have started to recognize the existence of a fourth shift: the unofficial, unbilled, largely invisible work that begins before the workday...
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