A stay in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) is every new parent’s worst nightmare. Your baby has finally arrived, but instead of bringing your little one home, you’re watching doctors and nurses provide specialized medical care, hoping for good news and wondering when your family will finally be together under one roof.
As if the emotional toll weren’t enough, there’s another worry lurking in the background: work. How long will your baby need to stay in the NICU? How much parental leave will you use up sitting beside an incubator? And what happens if you’ve exhausted your paid leave by the time your baby is finally healthy enough to come home?
For Biglaw parents, where demanding schedules and billable hours don’t exactly lend themselves to flexibility, these questions can be particularly overwhelming. But one firm is showing that compassion and Biglaw don’t have to be mutually exclusive.
Lowenstein Sandler has announced a new paid parental leave policy specifically designed for employees whose newborns require extended NICU stays. Under the policy, parents will receive additional paid leave proportional to the length of their baby’s hospitalization, up to eight extra weeks. Lowenstein, which has more than 400 lawyers, is among the first law firms to offer dedicated extended paid leave for parents of hospitalized newborns.
The idea is simple, but incredibly important: Parents shouldn’t have to spend their entire parental leave watching their babies receive medical treatment, only to be forced back to work shortly after finally bringing them home.
The policy originated with the firm’s Women’s Initiative Network (WIN), whose members brought the idea to Chief People Officer Donatella Verrico earlier this year. Verrico championed the proposal, and the firm’s Operating Committee approved it.
“This policy reflects something we believe strongly: NICU families deserve the best possible support during an extraordinarily difficult and uncertain time,” Verrico said. “We’re proud to formalize that support for all members of our community as a continuation of Lowenstein’s longstanding commitment to working parents.” Managing partner Jonathan Wishnia echoed that sentiment, noting that the firm’s leadership supported the proposal without hesitation. “Supporting our people through major life events is part of who we are and is embedded in so many of our core values, from being boldly innovative to purposefully connected to generous by nature,” he said.
While Biglaw firms are usually competing over associate salaries, bonuses, and other financial perks, this is the kind of benefit that can make a life-changing difference for attorneys and staff when they need it most. No parent should have to choose between being there for their medically fragile newborn and protecting their career.
Kudos to Lowenstein for recognizing that bringing a baby home from the hospital is when a new chapter of parenthood begins, and giving NICU families the additional time they deserve. Here’s hoping other Biglaw firms follow its lead.
Lowenstein Sandler Enacts New Paid Leave Policy for Families with Extended NICU Stays [Lowenstein Sandler]
Staci Zaretsky is the managing editor of Above the Law, where she’s worked since 2011. She’d love to hear from you, so please feel free to email her with any tips, questions, comments, or critiques. You can follow her on Bluesky, X/Twitter, and Threads, or connect with her on LinkedIn.
The post A Biglaw Firm With A Heart: This New Parental Leave Policy Deserves Applause appeared first on Above the Law.
A stay in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) is every new parent’s worst nightmare. Your baby has finally arrived, but instead of bringing your little one home, you’re watching doctors and nurses provide specialized medical care, hoping for good news and wondering when your family will finally be together under one roof.
As if the emotional toll weren’t enough, there’s another worry lurking in the background: work. How long will your baby need to stay in the NICU? How much parental leave will you use up sitting beside an incubator? And what happens if you’ve exhausted your paid leave by the time your baby is finally healthy enough to come home?
For Biglaw parents, where demanding schedules and billable hours don’t exactly lend themselves to flexibility, these questions can be particularly overwhelming. But one firm is showing that compassion and Biglaw don’t have to be mutually exclusive.
Lowenstein Sandler has announced a new paid parental leave policy specifically designed for employees whose newborns require extended NICU stays. Under the policy, parents will receive additional paid leave proportional to the length of their baby’s hospitalization, up to eight extra weeks. Lowenstein, which has more than 400 lawyers, is among the first law firms to offer dedicated extended paid leave for parents of hospitalized newborns.
The idea is simple, but incredibly important: Parents shouldn’t have to spend their entire parental leave watching their babies receive medical treatment, only to be forced back to work shortly after finally bringing them home.
The policy originated with the firm’s Women’s Initiative Network (WIN), whose members brought the idea to Chief People Officer Donatella Verrico earlier this year. Verrico championed the proposal, and the firm’s Operating Committee approved it.
“This policy reflects something we believe strongly: NICU families deserve the best possible support during an extraordinarily difficult and uncertain time,” Verrico said. “We’re proud to formalize that support for all members of our community as a continuation of Lowenstein’s longstanding commitment to working parents.” Managing partner Jonathan Wishnia echoed that sentiment, noting that the firm’s leadership supported the proposal without hesitation. “Supporting our people through major life events is part of who we are and is embedded in so many of our core values, from being boldly innovative to purposefully connected to generous by nature,” he said.
While Biglaw firms are usually competing over associate salaries, bonuses, and other financial perks, this is the kind of benefit that can make a life-changing difference for attorneys and staff when they need it most. No parent should have to choose between being there for their medically fragile newborn and protecting their career.
Kudos to Lowenstein for recognizing that bringing a baby home from the hospital is when a new chapter of parenthood begins, and giving NICU families the additional time they deserve. Here’s hoping other Biglaw firms follow its lead.
Lowenstein Sandler Enacts New Paid Leave Policy for Families with Extended NICU Stays [Lowenstein Sandler]
Staci Zaretsky is the managing editor of Above the Law, where she’s worked since 2011. She’d love to hear from you, so please feel free to email her with any tips, questions, comments, or critiques. You can follow her on Bluesky, X/Twitter, and Threads, or connect with her on LinkedIn.
