In recognition of its new parental leave policy, Munsch Hardt received the “Outstanding Firm” award at today’s Travis County Women Lawyers Association (TCWLA) Grants and Awards Luncheon in Austin, Texas. The annual awards ceremony recognizes one organization that hires and retains significant numbers of women and/or adheres to forward-thinking work place policies, such as innovative job sharing, day care, flex- and part-time programs, and alternative partnership tracks.
“Being successful at work and at home should not be a trade off,” said Phil Appenzeller, CEO of Munsch Hardt. “As a growing law firm looking to recruit and retain the next generation of leaders, it’s critically important for our attorneys to know we are committed to them. We expect our attorneys to achieve remarkable outcomes for our clients, and in turn we are committed to doing our best to support them, whether that’s through professional development or benefits promoting a strong work-life balance. We are tremendously proud of today’s award from the Travis County Women Lawyers Association, and we look forward to continually pursuing benefits that cater to the evolving needs of our employees.”
Earlier this year, Munsch Hardt transitioned from a formal maternity leave policy to a paid parental leave policy that (i) supports both male and female attorneys, (ii) extends maternity leave from 12 to 14 weeks for child care and parent-child bonding, including those going through the adoption process, and (iii) offers a Parental Leave Transition Initiative. The initiative is designed to ease the transition process though a progressive ramp-down, ramp-up hours program, which reduces the monthly billable hours requirement by 25 percent.
Today’s awards ceremony was hosted at the Four Season’s Hotel by TCWLA’s sister organization, the Travis County Women’s Foundation (TCWF), which strives to deliver grants to local non-profits that provide direct legal services to women and children in Central Texas. A number of Munsch Hardt attorneys are involved within TCWLA at various levels.