The Non-Linear Path to Partner Nobody Talks About

About this episode

Danielle Kays shares her unique journey to becoming a partner at Fisher Phillips while balancing family and career.

Danielle Kays is a partner at Fisher Phillips, a nationally recognized litigator focused on privacy, biometric, AI, and employment law — and she did it her way, on her timeline, working remotely since 2013. In this episode, she gets real about the windy road to partner, what it looked like to balance Big Law with two little kids, and why taking 20 years to make partner is something to be proud of — not apologize for. In this episode we cover: Why she joined Big Law when her kids were babies — in search of flexibility What it was really like to work from home in 2012 before anyone else was doing it The patronizing moments and upstream swimming that came with a non-linear path How she and her husband built a true partnership to make two demanding careers work The power of finding community — especially women who are a few steps ahead of you Why your career is a marathon, not a sprint (and what that actually means in practice) Connect with Danielle: LinkedIn Work with Erin Gerner: Erin coaches high-achieving female attorneys who are successful on paper but struggling with burnout, identity crisis, and knowing what's next—helping them redefine success on their terms without…

People in this episode

Host: Erin Gerner

Guest: Danielle Kays

Topics covered

• career progression
• work-life balance
• remote work
• women in law
• non-linear career paths
• community support

Keywords

• Big Law
• partner
• flexibility
• burnout
• community
• marathon career
• women attorneys

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Fisher Phillips

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