Law Firms
Backup Elder Care Is Latest Benefit Offered by Big Law Firms
Posted Jul 23, 2008, 05:23 am CST
By Debra Cassens Weiss
More big law firms are beginning to offer backup elder care as a benefit, usually at no cost to the lawyers and employees who use it.
The Daily Journal lists 10 law firms that offer the benefit in California. They are Paul, Hastings, Janofsky & Walker; Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati; Mayer Brown; White & Case; Dewey & LeBouef; McDermott, Will & Emery; Covington & Burling; Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher; O'Melveny & Myers; and Reed Smith.
Dependents enrolled in the program usually get up to 20 visits a year free of charge. One provider, Bright Horizons, charges law firms at an annual rate based on likely enrollment and usage.
Another backup care company, Work Options Group, conducted a survey that found the benefit reduces employee stress and absenteeism. It told ABAJournal.com that it contracts with 13 big law firms that weren't mentioned in the Daily Journal article to provide backup care for children and adults.
Patricia Caudle, manager of employee relations and work-life programs at Paul Hastings, told the Daily Journal that care offered can vary, from sitting with a person for a few hours, to administering medicine or performing household tasks.
When Caudle was out of town for a couple days, she used the benefit to provide some company for her 88-year-old mother. Caudle says her mother’s doubts disappeared after she met the caregiver.
"This person was able to gain my mom's confidence," Caudle told the publication. "My mom went from 'How absurd. I don't need a caregiver,' to 'Do you think she'll take me for a walk?' "
Story updated on July 24 to add information from the Work Options Group.
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