According to a report released by the San Francisco-based Project for Attorney Retention, which surveyed 100 American law firms, only 23 of those firms had partnership classes consisting of at least 40% women in 2008.
Fourteen of the 100 firms did not include any women.
The survey included 100 law firms, which were chosen based on prior years’ surveys, firm size, reputation, and availability of information.
From the report:
The best: Cravath (67%), Dickstein Shapiro (67%), Wiley Rein (60%), Andrews Kurth (57%), Bryan Cave (56%), Arent Fox (50%), Baker & Daniels (50%), Hogan & Hartson (50%), Holland and Hart (50%), King & Spalding (50%), Luce Forward (50%), Simpson Thacher (50%), and Sullivan & Cromwell (50%). A special mention goes to Farella Braun, whose only new partner is female (100%).
The worst: None of the following firms made a female partner this year: Cadwalader, Cleary Gottlieb, Dechert, Foley Hoag
, Kaye Scholer, Lowenstein Sandler, Milbank, Schulte Roth, Steptoe, Strook, Venable, Wachtell, White & Case, and Wilkie Farr.
PAR is an initiative of the Center for WorkLife Law at the University of California Hastings College of the Law.