On September 21, Patricia S. Cain, partner in the Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation practice group, and Collette A. Brown, associate in the General & Commercial Litigation practice group, accepted an award recognizing Neal, Gerber & Eisenberg LLP as among the 50 best law firms for women. The firm has received this distinction, bestowed by Working Mother and Flex-Time Lawyers, for eight consecutive years.

This annual list recognizes law firms that implement family friendly policies and promote career development initiatives that help retain women attorneys and advance them into the leadership pipeline. Neal Gerber Eisenberg was specifically praised for hiring consultants that helped the firm identify and eradicate gender bias in the workplace. The firm was also commended for launching coaching and business development initiatives for female partners, and offering a flexible work schedule that permitted a third of the firm’s women attorneys to work reduced hours in 2015.

Prior to the awards luncheon, Collette was one of four panelists participating in the career accelerator summit, where a diverse group of female attorneys discussed how women in the workplace can overcome generational and racial differences to effectively communicate and support one another.

“It was incredibly enlightening to be able to participate on a panel that included women attorneys from different generations, and hear about the struggles and progress that has been made over the past several decades,” Collette said. “I was proud to be able to offer the perspective of a Millennial and share my experiences with those who began their careers in an era where they were the only female lawyer at their firm and commonplace practices such as providing maternity leave were unheard of. Hopefully through open dialogues such as this, we will be able to make even more significant strides in the coming years.”

Both Collette and Patty are members of Neal Gerber Eisenberg’s Women’s Network, which looks to address the unique needs of women in the workplace through a variety of venues, including lunch-and-learn programs, networking and social events, a parent mentoring program, and a policy group focused on advocacy issues important to women’s professional success. The firm encourages women to attain leadership roles at the firm and consistently seeks innovative solutions to the unique issues impacting women in the workplace.