CCBJ: Would you tell us a little bit about Cariloop?
Carly Duvall Le Riche: Cariloop is a caregiver support benefit. We pair employees who are caring for loved ones with a care coach who can walk them through their caregiver journey, as well as digital tools to help them plan and manage their care. Say you're a working parent who needs to find daycare facilities. Your Cariloop care coach can take on the tasks of researching and vetting facilities to find one where you live and that meets your needs. There are all sorts of ways that Cariloop shows up; we’re not just a childcare resource but also provide assistance with regard to illnesses of loved ones, aging parents and other challenges that families may face.
Tell us a little about yourself and what led you to join Cariloop.
I am an attorney with 15 years of legal experience. When I was in private practice, I spent a lot of time advising startups and early-stage companies and while doing this developed a passion for working with companies that are developing technological solutions to some of our ongoing problems. That path led me to an in-house role prior to my joining Cariloop. I loved the in-house working environment worked in earnest to attain the role that I have now, that of general counsel, which I knew would challenge me intellectually as well as provide an opportunity for leadership. But what excited me most about Cariloop was the opportunity to take my talents to an organization with a mission and a product that I really care about.
Tell us a little bit about your leadership style and who or what has influenced it over the years?
I believe a great team is a reflection of the sum of its parts, with each member bringing unique talents and perspectives. As a leader, my first job is to first understand my team members’ individual strengths and how they work and then to make sure they're in a role that focuses on what they do best. Then I like to take a step back and let them operate without micromanagement; let them do what they do best without getting in their way.
What qualities do you look for when you're hiring a new team member?
First and foremost, I care about a lawyer's judgment. I also want to know how they handle stressful situations; what their working style is under pressure. I want to hear about how they've navigated complex or layered questions. That is remarkably difficult to assess from a resume and a LinkedIn profile, so obviously the interview takes on tremendous significance. One of the things that I also care about is whether the candidate has broad general experience. I'm looking for lawyers who have worked on a lot of different kinds of matters or with a lot of different kinds of companies, as opposed to someone who has been siloed in their job function, only working on one specific type of matter. A broad background would at least make me think that this candidate may have some of the intangible qualities that I'm looking for.
How would you describe the culture of your organization?
Corporate culture is very important to Cariloop. Our core values are service, empathy, innovation and integrity, and those values show up in everything we do; they aren't just words that we put on our webpage. For example, each of our executive leader functions is organized around those values, from our approach to talent development and retention to how we think about clients and prospects. Our values are literally something that comes up every single day in our meetings and daily operation. We have organized our culture around those concepts in so many ways.
What is the most influential career advice you'd ever received?
The first law firm I worked at was in the Midwest. In meetings, one of my colleagues who had grown up on a farm would say, "We're planting trees here, not corn," meaning we are going to spend time with and nourish things that grow slowly over time because they have a deep root system that allows us to grow and thrive. I've applied that concept over the years, favoring investments in employees, clients and business contacts that are going to pay off tenfold in the future as opposed to something that may give you a quick buck today. Take the time to develop the aspects of your business that are important and unique to you. Even though they may take longer to develop and require more of an investment, those things pay off over time.
What changes would you like to see within the legal profession over the next six months or longer?
A key challenge we still have is the lack of realistic caregiver support. It's one of the things that attracted me to Cariloop and its product/mission. An attorney's career typically takes off right when his or her family responsibilities are beginning to mount. So you have this overlapping phase, creating substantial challenges where you're trying to balance the demands of a career with the needs of a growing family. Whether it's in private practice or in an in-house role, there are a lot of places where policies that support caregivers would make a significant difference in a lawyer’s ability to navigate the competing demands of professional and family life.
Statistics bear this out. A large number of attorneys, particularly women, leave the practice of law, particularly private practice. By offering flexible work arrangements, parental leave, access to affordable childcare services, and many other related benefits, you start to foster a culture that recognizes your attorney as both a professional and a caregiver. I just think that, as a profession, there's a lot more we can be doing in this area.
Published December 6, 2024.
