Megan Friend is Groom’s Director of Human Resources. In this role, she is responsible for both making the experience of working at Groom as good as it can possibly be, and simultaneously making the employee benefit program as cost-effective as possible. The two objectives overlap in some very interesting, innovative ways.

Megan comes to Groom with over ten years of experience in human resources for law firms. She began her career as a receptionist, without a college degree, and thanks to her work ethic, her people skills and her talent for HR issues, she rose through the ranks. She has handled administrative and HR duties for firms ranging from small, regional boutiques to global behemoths.

Her work has included budgeting and budget management, responsibility for compliance with state and federal health and safety codes, development and implementation of disaster recovery and business continuity plans, recruiting and employment from hire to termination, new employee orientation and onboarding, conference room scheduling systems, and training and supervision of secretarial staff, just to name a few.

At Groom, Megan has been responsible for an equally broad range of projects. She works closely to manage third-party benefits vendors, for example, and personally handles administration of changes to benefit plans. She has also spearheaded and managed innovative wellness programs for employees, including sourcing and negotiating ongoing employee support programs in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, along with co-chairing the firm Wellness Committee.

She’s also developed a role as an empathetic, professional source of support and assistance for employees at all levels dealing with personal challenges of all kinds. In a high-stakes, high-stress professional environment like Groom, world-class support for employees at all levels is vital. As another example of Megan’s innovative approach, the firm’s bereavement policy has been updated to reflect the changing definition of “family” in the 21st century, and the individual needs of each employee. If you work at Groom and lose a family member, you take as much time off as you need.

Megan’s approach to human resources is grounded in firsthand experience. As a nursing mother, for example, in a workplace that did not support her, she learned firsthand how important a supportive work environment was. At Groom, she’s helping build that, and helping ensure that a firm that provides top-notch employment and benefits counsel for clients delivers top-notch employment and benefits to its people.

In her free time, Megan enjoys a broad range of activities, beginning with being the team mom to her son’s high school football team. Briefly a wedding photographer, Megan has always been interested in cameras and photography, a pursuit she still enjoys. She has two Italian greyhounds, Angel and Birdie (in alphabetical order) and finally, she has recently taken up the sport of axe-throwing. It’s not a comment on her cost-cutting strategy.


Previous Experience

  • Receptionist/Human Resources Specialist at an Am Law 200 firm (2007 - 2012)
  • Human Resources Coordinator at an AM Law 200 law firm (2012 - 2016)
  • Office Administrator at an Am Law 100 law firm (2016 - 2019)
  • Recruiter, NRI Staffing (2005 - 2006)

Professional Affiliations

  • Member, SHRM (2016 - present)
  • Member, ALA (2020 - present)

Honors & Distinctions

  • SHRM-CP certification (2020)