The Mothers in Law

The Motherhood Penalty In Law: How The Landmark ABA Study Puts Numbers Behind Lawyer Parents' Careers With Stephanie Scharf And Bobbi Liebenberg

For years, lawyer parents—especially mothers—have intuitively felt the immense challenges of balancing career and caregiving. Now, the data is in. We dive into the landmark ABA Parenthood in the Legal Profession Study with two leaders behind the research, Stephanie Scharf [https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephaniescharf] and Bobbi Liebenberg [https://www.linkedin.com/in/roberta-liebenberg-204a0a13]. Based on responses from 8,000 lawyers, this study provides the numbers and nuances behind some hard truths: motherhood carries a measurable career penalty, caregiving disproportionately impacts women’s advancement and compensation, and flexibility often comes with unintended negative consequences for leadership and visibility. But this conversation isn’t just about what’s broken. Scharf and Liebenberg share actionable strategies for individuals, law firms, and bar associations to intentionally shift the narrative, moving toward an environment where parenting is celebrated as a leadership strength, not a liability. Read on to learn how we can all be called to act to make the legal profession better for mothers and for lawyers. Love the show? Subscribe, rate, review, and share! https://themothersinlaw.com/ [https://themothersinlaw.com/]

The New Playbook: Becoming The Primary Breadwinner And Finding Career Flexibility With Stacy Bratcher

Stacy Bratcher [https://www.linkedin.com/in/stacy-bratcher], Senior Vice President and Chief Legal Officer at Cottage Health [https://www.cottagehealth.org/], has thrived as a leader in healthcare while building a family structure that defies traditional expectations. In this candid conversation, Stacy shares how she and her husband intentionally decided to flip the traditional script, with her prioritizing her high-level career and him taking on the role of primary caregiver. For any working mother who feels the traditional playbook doesn’t fit, Stacy provides invaluable wisdom on managing a high-powered career, gaining calendar flexibility, and supporting the partner carrying the weight at home. Love the show? Subscribe, rate, review, and share! https://themothersinlaw.com/ [https://themothersinlaw.com/]

Ambition, Motherhood, And Type 1 Diabetes: The Breaking Point No One Talks About With Kristi Tremble

A successful career journey is not all about financial wealth but also about the realization of all your personal goals in life. If you want to build a sustainable career, you must do so without losing yourself in the process. Carrie Fogliani is joined by Kristi Tremble [https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristitremble/], who shares how she balances the high demands of being a mother and a lawyer. She explores how parenthood helped her redefine her own definition of success, the right way to address burnout, and the importance of setting boundaries in both your personal and professional lives. This discussion is for everyone who feels very successful in paper but is also quite exhausted in life. Love the show? Subscribe, rate, review, and share! https://themothersinlaw.com [https://themothersinlaw.com]

When Life Doesn’t Go As Planned—And Becomes Something Better With Holly Boyer

Appellate law can be a demanding career, especially since it is about handling emotionally heavy cases like sexual, domestic, and child abuse. How can a mother deal with such a challenging occupation? Carrie Fogliani gets a glimpse of a mother’s life in appellate law with Holly Boyer [https://ecbm.law/hollyboyer.html], a partner at Esner, Chang, Boyer & Murphy. She explains how she remains present for her family despite being at the frontlines of confidential legal procedures. Holly also shares how she discusses the uncomfortable aspects of her work with her children and how she welcomed her very special daughter into the world.

Redefining What It Means To Be A Working Mom With Jen McDonald

Can you truly reinvent your career and redefine success while raising a family? Jen McDonald [https://www.linkedin.com/in/jen-mcdonald-2476a311/] says yes. Carrie Fogliani sits down with her first non-lawyer guest, a Southern California real estate agent with Compass [https://www.compass.com/], to share her experiences and insights as a working mom. Jen explains why it is never too late to make a career pivot and build a business of your own, as long as it is grounded in your values and passions. She also discusses how to unlock your own power by setting the right boundaries, getting rid of a people-pleasing mindset, and learning to say no. Discover how to step into the next chapter of your life as a mother and a career woman. Love the show? Subscribe, rate, review, and share! https://themothersinlaw.com [https://themothersinlaw.com/]