Bass, Berry & Sims PLC

The Spark

Todd Rolapp, Managing Partner of Bass, Berry & Sims, was visiting the firm’s DC office when a colleague’s face lit up mid-conversation. She was looking out the window at her little boy walking down the sidewalk with his pre-K group, all holding a rope, headed somewhere fun. Her child’s program was right across the street. She could have lunch with him, check in during the day, and still handle a full litigation caseload. That look on her face stayed with Todd and made an impression.

In Nashville, the firm's largest office, where long hours and client responsiveness are integral to the practice, leaders sought innovative ways to help talented attorneys thrive professionally while meeting the demands of parenthood. The firm launched a working parents affinity group and started hearing the same stories: absurd waitlists, exorbitant costs, and the daily logistics crisis of getting a child across town before the workday even starts. The firm explored opportunities with its existing building to add child care to the building. There were too many obstacles, including code issues. So, when it came time to negotiate a new lease, Todd made a decision that would change the conversation entirely.

The Solution

Bass Berry told competing developers the same thing: we are not going anywhere that does not have on-site child care. Most were perplexed. Putting a licensed child care center in a downtown high-rise requires an outdoor playground, a fire escape route, dedicated parking and drop-off, and compliance with an entirely different set of building codes. It seemed impossible. Southwest Value Partners, the developer of Nashville Yards, said they would find a way. They did not have plans for a child care center when the conversation started. They moved mountains to make it happen.

The result is the Goddard School at Nashville Yards, a 260-child center with 16 classrooms located on the base level of the Pinnacle Tower, adjacent to convenient parking. Bass Berry employees park in the garage, walk their child to the Goddard School on the same level, and take the elevator to their office. The center operates from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. and serves children from six weeks through age six. In the 10 months since opening, 35 Bass Berry families have enrolled, and 18 infants have been placed.

Rather than directly subsidizing tuition, Bass Berry used its leverage as an anchor tenant to guarantee a minimum number of spots, de-risking the provider’s early operations. High demand made the guarantee unnecessary, but the willingness to back the center financially signaled to the developer and the provider that Bass Berry was serious. The firm also offers 18 weeks of paid parental leave and maintains the working parents affinity group, whose members provided direct feedback to the Goddard School during its planning phase.

The Results

Bass Berry has not formally measured ROI on the child care benefit, but Todd describes it as an incredibly effective differentiator in recruiting. When a candidate who is a new parent hears that the firm has a high-quality child care center in the building, the reaction is immediately and visibly positive. In a profession where compensation packages are closely matched, benefits that address real life, not just work life, can tip the decision.

Angela Dunn, the firm’s Senior HR Director, points to another proof point: when a nearby school closed unexpectedly, displaced Bass Berry parents showed up at the Goddard School and were accommodated on a temporary basis. That kind of emergency backup, available because the center is steps away, is a form of workforce stability that no stipend or referral service can replicate. Todd captures the broader lesson simply: employers can step up and do a lot. This was not a government program. It was a priority in a lease discussion; and it created a child care center that serves 260 families because one tenant decided to make it a priority.