Summary: Working Mother and Flex Time Lawyers have released a comprehensive list of the top 50 law firms for women.
This month, Working Mother and Flex Time Lawyers released their list of the top 50 law firms for women. The list, which has been around for a decade, recognizes U.S. law firms that “create and use best practices in retaining and promoting women lawyers.” This includes offering flexible arrangements and generous paid parental leave.
For instance, Arnold & Porter was included on this year’s list because it offers 18 full paid weeks of birth or adoption leave, flexible schedules, $10,000 in adoption aid, and “excellent subsidized childcare.”
Working Mother and Flex Time Lawyers said that, “Female representation is lower at partner levels than in less senior roles; however, Best Law Firms, on average, employ more female equity partners (20%) than the national average (18%).” They added that women represent 30% of lawyers of the firms on the list, and this is the highest percentage in the past ten years.
O’Melveny & Meyers earned a spot on this year’s list, and they stated that in 2016, 45% of their partner promotions were women.
“Our former chair Warren Christopher once said, ‘the most effective teams are comprised of talented people with divergent backgrounds and experiences,” O’Melveny chair Bradley J. Butwin said. “They do not look like the products of a cookie cutter.’ That commitment to diversity and inclusion impacts everything we do at O’Melveny, from developing our talent to building client and trial teams.”
Colorado-based Holland & Hart was listed because of its initiatives to promote work-life balance. According to Working Mother, “This firm eliminated billable-hours requirements for partners in 2015 and began basing compensation for mid- to senior-level associates on revenues, not in-office time. Its Women’s Forum promotes new telecommuting and on- and off-ramping policies.”
Working Mother’s mission is to champion a culture of change, and it has a readership of 2 million. Flex Time Lawyers is a consulting firm founded by Deborah Epstein Henry, and it focuses on promoting work-life balance in the legal profession. To create this list, firms applied by answering 300 questions about aspects such as representation, compensation, time off, and childcare.
2016 Working Mother and Flex Time Lawyers Best Law Firms for Women
- Arnold & Porter
- Baker & McKenzie
- Bradley Arant Boult Cummings
- Cooley
- Crowell & Moring
- Davis Wright Tremaine
- Debevoise & Plimpton
- DLA Piper
- Dorsey & Whitney
- Duane Morris
- Faegre Baker Daniels
- Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner
- Foley & Lardner
- Fox Rothschild
- Fredrikson & Byron
- Gibbons
- Goodwin Procter
- Gray Plant Mooty
- Hanson Bridgett
- Hogan Lovells
- Holland & Hart
- Holland & Knight
- Ice Miller
- Katten Muchin Rosenman
- Kaye Scholer
- King & Spalding
- Kirkland & Ellis
- Latham & Watkins
- Littler
- Lowenstein Sandler
- Manatt, Phelps & Phillips
- McDermott Will & Emery
- McGuireWoods
- Morrison & Foerster
- Neal, Gerber & Eisenberg
- Norton Rose Fulbright
- Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart
- O’Melveny & Meyers
- Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe
- Perkins Coie
- Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman
- Quarles & Brady
- Reed Smith
- Schiff Hardin
- Seyfarth Shaw
- Shook, Hardy & Bacon
- Sidley Austin
- Troutman Sanders
- Vinson & Elkins
- WilmerHale
For the full study, click here.
What do you think about the firms listed? Let us know in the comments below.