The Motherhood/Caregiver Penalty: A Discussion of Challenges and Solutions

Last October, the ABA’s Commission on Women in the Profession issued a report entitled “Legal Careers of Parents and Child Caregivers: Results and Best Practices from a National Study of the Legal Profession”. Based on a national survey of lawyers and a series of national focus groups, this comprehensive study documents the continued pervasiveness of the “motherhood/caregiver penalty” in the legal profession and its negative impact on the advancement of women in the profession. Equally important, the report sets forth thirteen recommendations that lawyers and legal organizations can adopt to create a more equitable workplace.

Join us in conversation with one of the authors of the report and former ABA president, Paulette Brown, and the project’s co-chair, Michelle Browning-Coughlin, to discuss the findings and how to implement the recommendations. Goulston & Storrs attorney Carla Reeves will serve as a moderator alongside Hannah Kilson. This program will offer the attendees an opportunity to more clearly understand the challenges and implications of the “motherhood/caregiver penalty” on women’s advancement in the legal profession and how legal organizations can implement practical policies and practices to remove it.