Lisa Bloom, who is Gloria Allred's daughter, just hired her own daughter at her law firm. Is that taboo?
Prominent lawyer Lisa Bloom just announced the addition of a new employee to her firm: Her daughter Sarah.
“Look at this brilliant feminist attorney who just joined my law firm — my hardworking hotshot lawyer daughter, Sarah Bloom!” the 56-year-old daughter of women’s rights attorney Gloria Allred, wrote Tuesday in a Facebook post. “So now there are TWO Blooms at the Bloom Firm. Get ready, world.”
Sarah, who graduated from law school in 2015 where she published a note on criminalizing revenge porn, was hired as an associate-level attorney at her mom’s Los Angeles-based law firm.
When talking with Yahoo Lifestyle, Lisa reiterated her excitement over her “brilliant daughter” joining the family business. “We have already talked about many of the sexual harassment cases she will likely be working on, and she is as passionate about this work as I am, and brimming with fresh new ideas,” she says.
Lisa adds, “I joke that we have a pro-nepotism policy at The Bloom Firm. For us, it works. We confront challenges directly, talk out our differences, and celebrate the good times. I am so honored and lucky to be able to work with family members I love.” The lawyer’s husband Braden Pollock also works at the Bloom Firm, running the business division, an arrangement Lisa calls “beautiful” due to their separately-defined roles and lively dinner conversation.
Lisa, known as the “Hollywood lawyer,” has handled high-profile cases such as Kathy Griffin, who in May was investigated (and then exonerated) by the Secret Service after holding up a fake, bloody replica of President Trump’s head on Facebook, multiple women who accused Bill Cosby of rape, and Blac Chyna for whom she obtained a restraining order against ex Rob Kardashian when he posted sexually-explicit images of her online.
Her most controversial client was accused rapist Harvey Weinstein, a case she admitted in October was a “colossal mistake” and one that earned her a public scolding from Allred.
“Had I been asked by Mr. Weinstein to represent him, I would have declined, because I do not represent individuals accused of sex harassment,” Allred said in a statement, according to The Wrap. “I only represent those who allege that they are victims of sexual harassment.”
Allred continued, “While I would not represent Mr. Weinstein, I would consider representing anyone who accused Mr. Weinstein of sexual harassment, even if it meant that my daughter was the opposing counsel.”
Mixing business with family carries pros and cons. On the one hand, there’s usually an inherent trust between relatives, due to years of familiarity, and if the business is family-owned, a deeper investment in its success.
However, sometimes family ties can skew perception of an employee’s capabilities and cause strife among staff — for example, when Donald Trump hired daughter Ivanka as “special assistant to the president,” backlash erupted over her lack of experience and at the notion of nepotism, the practice of favoring a family member over other employees.
“One of the biggest challenges of hiring family members is competence,” Wayne Rivers, president of the Family Business Institute, a North Carolina consulting firm, tells Yahoo Lifestyle. “Is Sarah Bloom the most talented, hot-shot lawyer in the hiring pool? Maybe or maybe not.”
The first step is creating an accountability system so Sarah is treated as an employee, not a daughter. “Sarah shouldn’t report to Lisa and her compensation must be market rate,” says Rivers. “That goes for privileges too — if Lisa takes the summer off to travel, it wouldn’t be appropriate for her daughter to come along.”
Working in Sarah’s favor is the fact that she spent two years at a Denver-based law firm, where she represented Syrian refugees and a domestic violence victim, per her Bloom Firm bio page. According to Rivers, prior work experience will position her favorably with colleagues who may feel her hire falls into nepotism.
“Relatives may never convince their co-workers that they’re the best hire but we always advise that before people join a family company, they work elsewhere, screw up a few times, earn a few promotions, and prove they’re able to lead,” says Rivers.
And Lisa’s daughter would be advised to work diligently as a team player and help her coworkers shine where she can. “In a family business, relatives work in a fishbowl,” says Rivers, “but if they can work hard and pay their dues, they’ll earn their spurs.”
Read more from Yahoo Lifestyle:
Why we care so much about Sarah Jessica Parker and Kim Cattrall’s falling out
Support builds for teen who may be expelled for Planned Parenthood sticker on her laptop
What to do when an adult bullies your kid, like what happened to Tom Brady
Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter for nonstop inspiration delivered fresh to your feed, every day.
