Lauren is the author of Ending the Gauntlet: Removing Barriers to Women’s Success in the Law, a book which is highly acclaimed for its thoughtful insights about the management of today’s law firms and the related institutional impediments to women’s success in the practice of law.

Lauren’s background includes an extraordinary focus on issues relating to the advancement of women in the profession. As the former President of the Boston Bar Association (1998-1999), Lauren established the Task-Force on Professional Challenges and Family Needs, which produced a report entitled:  Facing the Grail – Confronting the Costs of Work/Family Imbalance (July, 1999), a report which received national attention for its in-depth analysis of the cost of attrition in law firms. Following her BBA presidency, Lauren helped establish and served as co-chair of its Standing Committee on Work/Family, where she continues to remain actively involved. Lauren is also involved as a founding member of the Equality Commission, which was created in 2004 to analyze the link between the relative lack of women in leadership positions in the law, the growing rate of attrition, and the demands of law firm practice. The Equality Commission worked closely with the MIT Workplace Center to create a survey to track the movement of women and men in Massachusetts law firms between 2001 and 2005, resulting in the path-breaking study, Women Lawyers and Obstacles to Leadership.  Lauren’s prior work with the MIT Workplace Center included a presentation which addressed the intersection of law firm workplace demands and their impact on the lives of families. This presentation, From Here to Flexibility in Law Firms: Can It Be Done, was developed into a Working Paper for the MIT Workplace Center website. Lauren has also worked with the MIT Workplace Center in its efforts to pass legislation to create a Massachusetts Work-Family Council.

In 2005, Lauren was appointed by the president of the American Bar Association to serve as one of twelve members of the ABA Commission on Women in the Profession. As part of her commitment to the advancement of women in political leadership, she serves as a member of the Board of Directors of the Massachusetts Women’s Political Caucus. Lauren is also a founding member of the Council for Women of Boston College, which is an organization dedicated to furthering the role of women as active leaders and participants at Boston College.

In her role as an equity partner at Bowditch & Dewey, LLP, Lauren manages an active mediation practice and a diverse environmental law practice emphasizing negotiation, enforcement and compliance issues.

Among her many honors, Lauren is the recipient of the 2007 Barbara Gray Humanitarian Award from Voices Against Violence, the Boston College Law School 2004 Alumni Award for Excellence in Law, the Boston College Law School 75^th Anniversary Alumni Award, and the 2005 Lelia J. Robinson Award from the Women’s Bar Association of Massachusetts.

Within her community, Lauren is the first woman to have served as Chair of the MetroWest Chamber of Commerce. In 1997, the Chamber named her “Business Leader of the Year” and, in 2001, granted her the Athena Award for professional excellence.

Her other community and professional involvements include serving as a member of the Board of Trustees of Clark University in Worcester, Massachusetts, and as a member of the Board of Directors of the Environmental League of Massachusetts, which she chaired for six years. She is also a member of the Board of Trustees of Discovering Justice, the James D. St. Clair Court Education Project, and is a fellow of the American Bar Foundation. Lauren also serves as a Trustee of the Middlesex Savings Bank.

Lauren is frequently requested to appear as a keynote speaker or participant in regional and national programs addressing women and workplace issues.