DAYL President’s Page

Making the Profession More Parent-Friendly

by Justin R. Gobert

One of the great aspects of DAYL, with our nearly 30 committees and several hundred events a year, is that there is an opportunity for every young attorney to get involved in something that matches their interest or passion. DAYL has also been an organization that is open to starting new programming or groups when a need is identified. One example is the extremely successful Moms in Law group (MIL), which launched a few years ago. MIL recognizes that life as a working mom, particularly a working lawyer mom, can be extremely challenging. The group set out to provide an informal, no commitment support group for working lawyer moms dedicated to helping mothers succeed in their careers. MIL hosts lunches twice a month and has also done periodic programming such as events at Neiman Marcus.

In 2018, MIL leadership approached the DAYL and Dallas Bar Association Boards of Directors about an initiative that they wanted to take on because that they felt it was extremely important to their members. That initiative was to survey the largest law firms in Dallas regarding their parental leave policies and childcare benefits. Over the past year, MIL has been doing just that. Last month, their hard work paid off with the publication of the Parental Leave Initiative Report. MIL worked with Kanarys to create an impressive and comprehensive report that explores many areas including prenatal work resources, maternity and paternity leave policies, adoptive leave policies, and resources for working parents.

Through the tireless efforts of MIL, the hope is that there will be increased transparency in law firm policy that will allow attorneys to make more informed decisions about their place of employment. We have already heard from one attorney that the Report has led to a change in policy at their law firm.

DAYL and current and future parents in the legal profession in Dallas owe a big thank you to MIL for their work, particularly Lara Bubalo Manor and Christine Leatherberry, who spearheaded the project. I am extremely proud of DAYL, and our leadership, for supporting Moms in Law every step of the way.

MIL has a happy hour coming up on March 27 at Chelsea Corner (4830 McKinney Avenue) from 5:00-6:30pm.  If you are interested in getting involved with the group or want to thank them for their hard work on the Report, make plans to join them. RSVP to Rocio@snellingsinjurylaw.com.