The American Lawyer had a piece earlier this month on an Iowa law firm where the boss lets employees bring their babies to the office. (Without looking–quick: what gender is the boss?)

From the story:

Roxanne Conlin still remembers how it felt, leaving her first child with a babysitter when the infant was only one week old. It was 1966. There were few women in the law and even fewer in practice after having children. Conlin was finishing her last year of law school and had a job with a small firm that offered no maternity leave. “It was horrible,” she says. “I cried every single day.”

When Conlin started her own firm in 1991, she swore that the women who worked for her would not have to play out that same wrenching scene. Today, Roxanne B. Conlin and Associates, a Des Moines–based plaintiffs firm, is one of only a handful of firms in the country that allows parents to bring their babies to the office.

According to Conlin, the policy has worked incredibly well. There was a receptionist early on who abused the privilege by bringing her baby, then leaving the child with coworkers all day. For the most part, though, Conlin tells The American Lawyer that parents are so grateful to be able to bring their babies that they work extra-hard. As a bonus, babies in the room or on the other end of the line sometimes prompt opposing counsel to be on their best behavior.

One expert quoted in the story says this perk is not common because most firms “are deeply skeptical about the notion that filing briefs and filling bottles are compatible.”

What do you think? Parents, would you have wanted to bring your young child to the office with you? Could you have gotten work done? Non-parents, would having babies around the office be cool or annoying? Are there any Maryland firms that already let parents bring their babies to work, either case-by-case or as a formal policy?

I wrote a blog post earlier this month about a new restaurant set to open Sept. 14 in the old Court Towers Deli in Towson, across the street from Circuit Court.

I ended my post thusly:

After 18 months of wondering and waiting, I’ll believe the deli is open when I see it, but I’ll keep you posted.

Sure enough, I walked past the restaurant Monday on my way to court and saw no customers, only a few workers inside continuing renovations. A new sign outside the Perring Place Express Deli says it will now open Sept. 21.

Not to sound like a broken record, but after 18 months of wondering and waiting, I’ll believe the deli is open when I see it. I’ll still keep you posted.