Blank Rome Launches New Firm-wide Affinity Group, BR Parents Forum
Blank Rome LLP is pleased to announce the launch of BR Parents Forum, the Firm’s newest affinity group focused on supporting parents across the Firm who are striving to manage their professional and parental responsibilities. The BR Parents Forum is committed to ensuring that everyone at Blank Rome has access to support, information, resources, and opportunities, to better navigate the unique and complex demands that parents in the legal industry face, and especially now in the midst of the pandemic.
“We are excited to provide an important platform to exchange ideas, network among colleagues, and share valuable information pertinent to working parents,” said Ariel S. Glasner, Partner and Co-Chair of BR Parents Forum. “As we enter the new school year, we are dedicated to highlighting the particular challenges that parents confront and to implementing an environment in which parents in any position at the Firm have the opportunity to succeed.”
The BR Parents Forum was first formed in March 2020, and has taken a particularly visible and active role in navigating the complex changes, including the transition to a remote work environment, stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic. The group periodically has conducted surveys to understand the challenges that parents face and how the Firm can best support them during this difficult time.
“This forum serves as a key outlet for parents facing unprecedented challenges,” said Lauren B. Wilgus, Partner and Co-Chair of BR Parents Forum. “From sharing timely resources and providing a place for parents to discuss ‘pandemic parenting,’ to developing art projects to support First Responders, we are proud of the strong sense of community that the BR Parents Forum has created across the Firm.”
Since its formation, the BR Parents Forum has facilitated peer-based support through virtual meetups with colleagues that focus on shared experiences and an array of parent-related topics. Meetups are offered across all of Blank Rome’s offices, and are geared toward parents of children of all ages and to parents of children with special needs or challenges. The BR Parents Forum also offers mentorship, in particular to new parents and parents returning from leave, as well as resources covering a wide range of topics such as educational and age-related issues, parental wellness and stress relief, and confronting social justice challenges.
“The BR Parents Forum has become a pillar in supporting the Firm’s broader diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts,” said Sophia Lee, Partner and Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer at Blank Rome. “Together with our Firm’s BR Pride, BR United, and Women’s Forum affinity groups, the BR Parents Forum continues to strengthen Blank Rome’s core value of making our Firm a place where everyone can do their best work in an environment where everyone can bring their ‘whole selves’ to work.”
Blank Rome is proud of its longstanding commitment to providing robust alternative work arrangements, telecommuting, and leave policies for its attorneys and professionals. Notably, the Firm has been recognized as a Best Law Firm for Women by Working Mother as well as honored in Yale Law Women’s Top Ten Firms for Gender Equity and Family Friendliness Report for its leadership in these areas.