Susan Black has been a competition partner at Herbert Smith since 1997. She went on maternity leave in 1998 and since May 2000 has worked part time.

Black works three and a half days a week on average throughout the year. The days vary according to the matters she is working on, so it has as much in common with flexible working as part-time working. "Some weeks I work five days and some weeks I don't work at all," she points out. "It's not as if I start work on Monday morning and then drop what I'm doing and leave three and a half days later."

She was asked by the firm to pilot the arrangement for six months in 1998. "I was surprised and delighted that I'd been given the chance," she says. "I thought it was a real step forward."

Black says the system only works if the partner has the support of the firm and is willing to be flexible. "You have to accept that sometimes it doesn't feel like you're working part time. Even if you're out of the office you still need to be available. But for me it's also a matter of conscience. It provides that little bit of extra cushion and freedom so that I can, for example, legitimately attend a school function or leave the office a bit early and don't feel like I'm sneaking out."

Black admits that she would not be working part time if she had no children, but says that the reality of lawyers having a home life is something that nowadays does not need to be disguised.

"There's generally more openness in the market these days about people's home lives," she says. "The same is also true of clients. People are generally more willing to volunteer something about their home life. They don't frown at you for having a home life as such."

There is a limit on how many part-time partners any firm can sustain, but according to Herbert Smith HR director John Lucy, it is primarily down to the clients. "Ultimately we'd have to be comfortable that the clients were satisfied with the service we give," he says. "We tested that [by asking them], and most said they didn't even know Susan was part time."