Helen E. Zukin

Last summer, Zukin couldn’t join her family on their annual vacation trip because she was knee-deep in a bellwether trial against pharmaceutical giant Johnson & Johnson.

In the end, her work as liaison counsel paid off, as the Los Angeles Superior Court jury delivered a staggering $417 million verdict in favor of cancer-stricken client Eva Echeverria, who alleged she developed ovarian cancer after using the company’s baby powder for 40 years. Echeverria died shortly after the trial.

The case is now up on appeal after the trial judge threw out the verdict, ruling there is still doubt within the scientific community regarding the toxicity of talc. A new battle now forms at the appellate level. Lloyd v. Johnson & Johnson, BC628228 (L.A. Super. Ct., filed July 25, 2016).

Regardless of the grueling trial schedule, Zukin said she feels very fortunate to work at a firm that allows for a good work-life balance, but that’s not what she’s been hearing from other attorneys.

“I do not feel men and women in the legal profession talk enough about work life and the professional life balance,” said Zukin.

She said she’s been hearing more and more the struggle to balance being a lawyer and being a good parent.

And it’s not just women raising this issue.

“I am finding more and more men talking about it,” said Zukin.

She said a female attorney at a big law firm recently asked her how was she able to manage a successful law career and a family.

“A lot of it depends on where you practice law. I have partners now, and have in the past, that got it because they wanted to be a part of their kid’s lives. The most important thing is to work in a supportive environment,” said Zukin.

She said the issue is endemic in all law firms.

“Solutions and attitudes need to be changed. There are still firms where a woman takes maternity leave and it is a strike against her. That isn’t the way it should be in 2018,” said Zukin.

— Justin Kloczko