Balance is the goal for busy attorney Marjorie Burchett, who combines a career with caring for her kids. (photo/lambertphoto.com)

As a recipient of the 1998 TWIN award, Marjorie Burchett is an example of a woman who has been acknowledged for professional and personal achievement.

After graduating from UCSD, she worked for the Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO) as a staff analyst. That experience piqued her interest in urban planning and development.

She received her law degree from Hastings Law School in 1985 and the same year was hired by Luce Forward Hamilton & Scripps in San Diego. She became a partner in 1993, specializing in residential and commercial development.

She has been a panelist and contributing writer on real estate for the San Diego and California bar associations and a number of industry publications.

For almost 10 years, Burchett chaired the KPBS corporate development committee and was a member of its community advisory board.

Now she and her attorney husband, Stephen, are the parents of 4-year old twins. She says the firm’s policy of providing flex time allows her to both continue her career and be involved in the children’s day-to-day activities. “The firm’s flex time policy has given me the opportunity to prioritize work and family,” says Burchett. “I can be an excellent lawyer and still have time to spend with my children.”

More than that, losing her mother to breast cancer two years ago has given her a different perspective. She says now she is seeking more balance in her life.

She and her sister Marie are in training for the Nov. 3 Susan G. Komen Walk for the Cure. They will be heading up a team of walkers named Arnie’s Angels in memory of their mother.

— Ann Shanahan Walsh