Law Schools, Women's Issues

Law School Offers Amazing New Perk For New Mothers

Do other law schools offer luxuries like these to students and professors?

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lawyer with a babyNavigating the world as a mother to a newborn child who must return to school or work can be a difficult task, especially when breastfeeding. Doing so as a law student or law professor can be even more difficult. During the hours spent away from your child, your days are segmented, broken down into the periods of time when you know you’ll be able to pump milk. Unfortunately, some mothers do not have the luxury to pump in places that are private, let alone sanitary. One law school is trying to change that.

Come fall 2017, a lactation room will be available for nursing mothers at the University of Florida Levin College of Law. This room is open to all Florida Law students, faculty, and staff. The UF at Work website has additional information on this new perk:

“We would periodically get requests from faculty and staff for a space like this,” said Associate Provost for Academic and Faculty Affairs Angel Kwolek-Folland. “Or we would hear anecdotal stories of people talking about having to use a bathroom or having to borrow an office, things like that.”

Kwolek-Folland said they began talks with UF’s Division of Planning, Design and Construction to identify locations where it would possible to create a lactation room with accommodations specific to the needs of nursing mothers. …

“The new rooms are geared specifically for this use – primary concerns in planning were privacy and convenience,” [Director of Minor Projects and Architecture Services Harold] Barrand said. The new rooms follow current guidelines for lactation facilities and are furnished with comfortable chairs and feature soft lighting, sound proofing and locking doors.

This wonderful innovation at Florida Law got us to wondering: do other law schools offer niceties like these to nursing mothers? If they do, we certainly haven’t heard about them. If your law school offers exclusive lactation facilities for law students, law professors, or law school staff, please reach out to us and let us know. If we receive enough responses, we’ll be able to compile a list of law schools that are friendly to new mothers’ needs.

Congratulations to Florida Law for being a leader when it comes to accommodating nursing mothers. Speaking on behalf of all new mothers, we extend our thanks to you.

UF Expands Lactation Room Offerings for Nursing Mothers [UF at Work]

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Staci ZaretskyStaci Zaretsky is an editor at Above the Law. She’d love to hear from you, so feel free to email her with any tips, questions, or comments. You can follow her on Twitter or connect with her on LinkedIn.

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