From battling in court to making kids happy

Two hardball Philadelphia litigators, joining a growing number seeking more flexibility for the duties of motherhood, have hung up their legal guns.

Each has opened a small business that, in a sharp turn from courtroom combativeness, sells happiness for children.

They have joined the fastest-growing segment of American business: female entrepreneurship.

They do not know each other. But their stories, told in separate interviews, are similar. Both, indeed, found that law practice lacks the scheduling flexibility one needs to be a good mother.

Allison C. Novin opened a franchise of the Pump It Up children's party venue chain in Marlton, a South Jersey suburb. Jackie Promisilo opened a children's store called LolliLolli on Center City's Washington Square earlier this month, inspired by something her children say.

Their stories shed light on a growing shortage of women in the leadership of law firms nationwide. Women make up roughly half of law school graduates, but only 18 percent of law firm partners, said James G. Leipold, executive director of the National Association for Law Placement in Washington. This comes at a time, he added, when women are rising in corporate America and demanding to see more women in the law firms they hire.

Promisilo and Novin say they may continue annual seminars to keep their licenses current, and someday may go back to practicing law, which they say they loved.

"I like going to court. I like to win," Promisilo said, sitting on a children's bench in the play area near the back of her store.

For now, they are working long hours to launch small businesses, and, based on outward appearances, having a ball.

Promisilo looked first at franchise operations, including a gym, but eventually picked her business in a time-honored way: She sought to fill a need in her Washington Square neighborhood, which she loves.

Two years ago, the illness of her mother, Estelle Promisilo, pushed her to act on her growing desire for a change. "Dealing with life and death," as she put it, created a need to "reenergize myself." Her mother, who died a year ago, was a role model, and her death "made me want to do something that gave something to the community."

The idea for the store arose from her experiences. Her children - Jordan, 7, and Julia, 5 - got invited to a half-dozen or more birthday parties in a short period of time, each one of which required getting in the car to go shopping.

"I don't like to drive unless it is to the beach," she said, and laughed. "And I don't enjoy shopping in big stores."

Also, friends were asking her to pick up gifts for them. So she decided to give her neighborhood a little shop with gifts, toys and clothing for children not often found in ordinary stores. Her customers include people who live or work in the neighborhood and need day-to-day things, grandparents looking for "that special gift," and tourists visiting the nearby historic district.

Novin's choice of business was also influenced by birthday parties attended by her children, Julian, 3, and Sebastian, 1. She felt a need for a fresh type of party place that would be fun, clean, safe and affordable.

Like Promisilo, she read entrepreneurship books and magazines, studied marketing, and began the search for business opportunities. She found the Pump It Up chain, which provides indoor playgrounds with giant inflatable things to play on, each supervised by a staff member.

The inflatable attractions are so huge that the chain's venues tend not to be in shopping centers, where ceilings are often too low and rents are too high. Novin set up her operation in what real estate people call "flex space," which offers high ceilings for a blend of office, light manufacturing and distribution operations.

After months of searching for an easy-to-find space, she leased 8 E. Stow Rd., Suite 160, off Greentree Road near Route 73 in Marlton.

Her Pump It Up has been open just over three months, and 4,000 children have attended parties or open play sessions. She has also hosted one 65th birthday party, attended by lots of grandchildren, which is stirring thoughts of additional business opportunities.

The parties move from room to room, each with different attractions, so no one gets bored and cranky, before finally settling in a private room with tables for pizza and cake.

Both women said in separate interviews that they were seeking more flexibility for time with their children. Judges are often understanding with emergencies, they said. But it is hard to delay a trial or deposition and deal with the scheduling complexity of courtrooms, a dozen lawyers and expert witnesses.

They said they believed that once the start-up period was over, running their own businesses would give them the flexibility they wanted, and both expected to make enough money to carry their share of family finances.

Ironically, both said separately that they were working harder than before. But their children are often around to see what their mothers do. Promisilo's children are older and help around the store.

Both spouses are involved. Novin's husband, Dean, an investment manager, is her behind-the-scenes financial guy. Promisilo's husband, John Steinhouse, a medical-software salesman, was busy on a recent morning planting flowers out front and setting up displays, helped by a college pal who came to town to help get the store open.

LolliLolli, at 713 Walnut St., has been open three weeks now, and, Promisilo said yesterday, she is getting better organized every day. The diplomacy and organizational skills learned managing big lawsuits, which often involve a variety of personalities and experts, has turned out to be good preparation for retailing.

Novin said the attention to detail and varied skills of law practice have helped her business, too. "Planning a birthday party," she said, "can be a lot like a lawsuit settlement conference."