Barbara Rom, ’72
Barbara Rom, ’72, is a dedicated ambassador for Michigan Law. She has served as national chair of the Law School Fund, on the Dean’s Advisory Council, and on her class’s reunion committee, among other roles.
Rom, of Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, chaired a Law School event in April to present the new building plans to Detroit-area alumni. She was forthright with her pitch, announcing her own significant gift to the project and urging others to follow suit.
“What Michigan represents to me is an extraordinary education for ordinary people,” said Rom, who gave $150,000 to the build-ing project. “I want to do my part to thank the State of Michigan for providing an education for me and my family.”
Growing up in Detroit, Rom was inspired to dream of a legal career not by female role models—there weren’t many—but by The Defenders TV show. She came to Michigan for undergraduate school, and a visit to the Law Quad determined her path for good.
Law firm jobs for women were scarce in 1972, so Rom began her career with Bendix Corporation. Attracted to bankruptcy law, she later joined Hertzberg, Jacob & Weingarten, whose bankruptcy group became part of Pepper Hamilton LLP in 1989.
After 37 years of practice, she continues to serve as the Detroit office’s attorney in charge until her planned retirement in December. A nationally known bankruptcy attorney, Rom said the specialty exceeded her expectations.
“The field was so much more exciting than I ever anticipated,” she said. “The cases are never routine.”