Attorney, CEO and Mom Brooke Goff Has a Plan For Women to Have It All

This Women's History Month, one lawyer is asking why, if moms are the CEOs of their households, they can't be CEOs of a company?

Attorney Brooke Goff, founder and CEO of the all-female Goff Law Group, notes that working women of childbearing age often lose out on job opportunities and advancement because top management assumes that they’ll be out of the office for maternity leave or sick days.

"In fact, according to the U.S. Department of Labor, there are 24.2 million mothers in the US labor force with children younger than 18, and 16% of that total say they have been passed over for a promotion as a result," Goff said.

To push back against outdated attitudes about working mothers, Goff recently promoted her latest pregnancy with billboards featuring the slogans "Eating for Two While Fighting For You" and "Stay Calm, Leave It To Mom." The mom-preneuer earned praise for the bold message, which promoted engaging dialogue about maternity and other legal rights.

"As the largest high-volume woman-owned, operated, and managed, personal injury law firm in Connecticut that boasts a staff consisting of 11 female attorneys, we offer a modern-day refresh in the traditional male-dominated legal field," Goff said.

"I know firsthand that women with children do the same amount of work in eight hours that others do in twelve because they have learned excellent time management strategies and understand that every minute is an opportunity to complete a task — often with little to no sleep — now, that’s a true superpower and key element of success," Goff said.

Goff, 37, has been tackling stereotypes ever since she became the first female football player on both her Hudson Falls, N.Y., middle and high school teams. She went on to put herself through college and law school, becoming the first openly gay lawyer in Connecticut. She founded Goff Law Group seven years ago as a new mother.

"Besides winning cases for my clients," Goff said, "my No.1 mission is to destroy the current stereotypes surrounding working mothers and serve as inspiration that they can indeed have it all — being female leaders in any industry, all while celebrating the precious gift of motherhood."

Goff has spoken at numerous schools, from the elementary to university level, about the importance of education and pursuing one’s dreams.

Now, during Women's History Month, Goff wants to use her influence to advocate for government-subsidized initiatives that help all mothers advance in the workplace. In addition to educational and vocational training for mothers who wish to return to work, Goff wants the government to provide women who choose to stay home and raise a family both training and funding for a new business venture that can be forgiven under certain circumstances.

Goff is seeking a national forum in which to publicly empower women in all aspects of their personal and professional lives, thereby creating more female entrepreneurs and leveling out the gender equality gap.

She also wants to encourage young women to seek higher education, and reward them for entering fields typically dominated by men.

“Even though it’s 2024, society still tells women that their role is to support, yet women lead in every single aspect of their lives and the lives of their family members," Goff said. "They are the CEO of their households, so why can’t they be the CEO of a company? It comes down to lack of training and resources, so much more effort needs to be made to provide working mothers with the necessary tools to become successful business owners and entrepreneurs.”