More Women Are Being Promoted to Partner – But There’s Still Work to Be Done

As we release our fifth annual New Partner Report this week we are pleased to see that the percentage of women promoted to partnership in major U.S. law firms is continuing to steadily increase. This year, we found that 37.3 percent of new partners were women, up from 34 percent last year and 33 percent in 2014. We are even more pleased and proud that our member firms are outpacing the national average with 38.3 percent of new partners being women. As the National Association for Legal Placement (NALP) reported in 2015 the total percentage of women partners is 21.46 percent, so these incoming classes are clearly going to increase the overall numbers of women in firm leadership.

While we are optimistic that major law firms might one day have an even balance of men and women in their partnership and leadership ranks, the industry still has a long way to go. Research shows us that there is still some work to be done before firms retain as many women as they do men over the years. Remember, according to NALP, 48 percent of graduating law school students are women and 44.68 percent of law firm associates are women, so we need to understand why these percentages are dropping to 21.46 at the partner level and 37.3 in terms of partner promotions. Read more

Thirty-Seven Percent of New Law Firm Partners Are Women; Diversity & Flexibility Alliance’s Report Finds Steady Increase

Metrics Crucial to Continued Progress

WASHINGTON, DC, November 3, 2016 — The Diversity & Flexibility Alliance announced today that the percentage of women promoted to partnership in 2016 in the U.S. offices of many of the nation’s largest law firms has reached a five-year high of 37.3 percent. This number has steadily increased from 33 percent in 2012, aside from a one-year dip to 32 percent in 2014, and is up nearly 3 percentage points from 34.4 percent last year. The Alliance’s 2016 New Partner Report noted that Diversity & Flexibility Alliance member firms continued to outpace the national average with 38.3 percent of attorneys promoted to partnership being women.

“While law firms still have a long way to go before women have an equal place in leadership, we are seeing some positive trends in the overall percentage of women being promoted to partnership in 2016,” said Manar Morales, President and CEO of the Diversity & Flexibility Alliance. “It is imperative that firms support and develop female talent by providing them opportunities to advance their careers, and creating an inclusive culture where women can advance to leadership positions,” she added. “We believe that it is crucial that we monitor and report this data so that our members and others in the industry are aware of the progress made and continue to explore opportunities that advance women in the profession. We are extremely proud that our member firms understand these opportunities and continue to outpace the national average for promoting women to partner.” Read more

Sutherland Asbill & Brennan LLP Welcomed As Newest Member of the Alliance

We are pleased to welcome Sutherland Asbill & Brennan LLP as the newest member of the Alliance! The firm joins a community of over 55 leading organizations that are implementing innovative solutions to promote inclusive and flexible work cultures.

sutherland-asbill

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Making It Work: Attorneys Putting Flex Success™ in Action!

November 2016

Featuring — Beth Dickstein, Partner, Sidley Austin LLP; Kelly Hughes, Shareholder & Co-Chair of the Flexibility/Awareness Subcommittee, Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart, P.C. ; Erik Lemmon, Associate, Holland & Hart LLP; and Charise Naifeh, Associate, White & Case LLP

Join us for our November Signature Seminar Series teleconference and hear from previous Spotlight on Flex interviewees and Flex Success™ Award Honorees on how they are exemplifying Flex Success™ to achieve both personal and professional success. Our speakers will share their stories on how they have fully utilized their firm’s flex policies and showcase how men and women make Flex Success™ possible at all career stages!

Spotlight on Flex – Antonia Sequeira

The Spotlight on Flex showcases professionals from member organizations who exemplify personal and professional success while working a flexible schedule. Their stories illustrate the long-term benefits that flexible schedules offer to both individuals and organizations.

This month, we are pleased to share insights from Antonia Sequeira, Partner in the Mountain View office of Fenwick & West LLP.

antonia-sequeiraDiversity & Flexibility Alliance: How have you made flexibility a priority and a success through your schedule?

Antonia Sequeira: Before attending law school, I was a researcher on the Drosophila Genome Project at the Lawrence Berkeley National Lab, and I also worked in various medical environments, including a clinical laboratory and an emergency room. When exploring where to take my career next, I was admitted to both biomedical PhD programs and to law schools. I became particularly interested in patents as a unique way to merge my scientific background and my strong writing skills. I ultimately decided to pursue law and attended UC Berkeley, Boalt Hall School of Law. I started as a summer associate at Fenwick & West and joined as a first year associate in the patent group right after graduation. During my first five years I split my practice between patent prosecution and patent litigation, working with a variety of different technologies, including medical device and software.

In 2008, I switched to a 70 percent, reduced hours schedule and moved my focus to patent prosecution/patent portfolio building. I was on this schedule when I made partner in January 2015. Recently, I switched to a 90 percent, reduced hours schedule. For me, both of these reduced hours schedules have meant that I don’t have particular days of the week that I take off – I still work full days. What it does mean, however, is I have the flexibility to not have to work as often on the weekends and at night. My schedule gives me the flexibility during the day to mentor associates and focus on business development. I’m the only female partner in the patent group (and the first female associate ever to be made partner in the patent group), and I do a great deal of mentoring and promoting of women and diversity in the firm. I also have a four year old daughter, and my schedule means I have less stress about lost work hours if I want to leave the office early and attend my daughter’s preschool events.

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Action Step – Out of Sight, But Not Out of Mind: Individual Strategies for Remote Team Success

The Alliance’s Action Steps are designed to assist organizations with implementing practical strategies and policies related to diversity and flexibility.  Members can access full versions of all of the Alliance’s Action Steps in the Member Resource Center.

OUT OF SIGHT, BUT NOT OUT OF MIND: INDIVIDUAL STRATEGIES FOR REMOTE TEAM SUCCESS

In Seven Strategies for Managing Remote Teams, we guided supervisors through the necessary steps to embrace the reality of leading teams of individuals who are working remotely. While supervisors play a pivotal role in making these teams work, individuals who work remotely also have the responsibility for their own and the team’s success. Carrying out that responsibility includes being visible, proactive, and adaptable. Here are some concrete tips for achieving each…

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Highlighting Flexibility & Diversity Initiatives: Ogletree Deakins

From time to time, we will be highlighting our member firms and corporations who we believe are leading the way in flexibility and diversity initiatives.  Recently, Alliance President & CEO Manar Morales spoke with Matt Keen, Managing Shareholder, and Michelle Wimes, Director of Professional Development and Inclusion, at Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart, P.C. about the work they have done with their firm’s flexibility policy and the creation of two Reduced Hours Advisor positions.  The following are excerpts from their discussion:

Ogletree DeakinsMorales: What was the impetus for creating a formal flex policy?

Keen: It was an evolution over time. As more women have taken shareholder, equity shareholder, and leadership positions, our awareness has been heightened. When Michelle was hired five years ago, we adopted a more formal flex policy so that all our attorneys would know what was available.

Wimes: While we’ve always informally tried to accommodate anyone who wanted to work flexibly, we wanted to make it more formal so that everyone in all offices knew about the option. We created the Reduced Hours Advisor positions to increase communication to all regions and to provide support to those working flexible schedules. Now we have two Reduced Hours Advisors – Kelly Hughes on the East Coast and Terry Egler on the West Coast – who have been through the process of working flexibly and can provide coaching and mentoring to others.   Both hold quarterly calls with their assigned regions and provide practical advice and positive reinforcement to others. Read more

Once You’ve Defined Your Success, It’s Time to Own Your Value

This is the second in a series of seven blog posts featuring advice on our Seven Strategies for Flex Success™. Check back as we walk you through the seven steps that will guarantee your success while working flexibly: Define Your Success; Own Your Value; Activate Your Mindset; Create A Strong Personal Brand; Build Your Networks; Expand Your Ideas on Business Development; and Enhance Your Work-Life Control.

seven-strategies-for-flex-successYou’ve now clearly mapped out your plan for working flexibly and reaching your one, three, and five-year professional and personal goals. The second step in our Seven Strategies for Flex Success™ involves truly understanding what you bring to the table and then capitalizing on it. It’s all about self-reflection and self-esteem.

Over the years we’ve asked attorneys about their roads to flex success. “Even if you don’t feel confident, you have to exude confidence,” said one attorney. The best way to feel confident is by knowing your strengths and identifying what makes you unique. It’s important to find ways to incorporate these assets and skills into everything you do. This is the value-add that will make you a go-to resource for your internal and external clients, and it’s the lever to exercise greater choice, including flexibility in your schedule.

As one attorney working flex advised, “Differentiating yourself is critical if you’re hoping to take advantage of a flexible schedule. Once you earn the reputation as a hard worker who produces high quality work, people will want you on their team no matter what your schedule is.” Read more

It’s Time to Celebrate Flex Success™!

Our Flex Success™ Award Nomination Period Is Open!

2017 FSA Call for NominationsIf you met Jenna Mooney and Danielle Frappier from Davis Wright Tremaine, you’d learn that these two women are outstanding attorneys. They are Equity Partners, they are experts in their fields, they have successfully developed new business, and they have mentored junior associates in their firm. What you wouldn’t immediately know is that these two women have also accomplished all of this while working a reduced hours schedule. With the help of their clients, Jenna and Danielle have found the right balance for themselves between a highly successful legal career and a happy personal life through 80% reduced hour schedules.

At the Diversity & Flexibility Alliance we like to celebrate these successes and honor the people leading the way in demonstrating that flexible work schedules can and do coincide with a successful career. Although our research shows that working reduced hours is the most stigmatized form of flex, we also know that with the support of their clients and their firm’s leadership, women and men working reduced hours can successfully become partners in law firms and can continue to provide their clients with excellent service.

Last year, we honored Jenna and Danielle, and their clients CLEAResult Consulting and Nexus Communications, with our Flex Success™ Award. This award not only celebrates the partners but also acknowledges the crucial role clients play in making workplace flexibility a reality and a success. Read more

Spotlight on Flex – Jamie Drewry

The Spotlight on Flex showcases professionals from member organizations who exemplify personal and professional success while working a flexible schedule. Their stories illustrate the long-term benefits that flexible schedules offer to both individuals and organizations.

This month, we are pleased to share insights from Jamie Drewry, Partner in the Indianapolis office of Faegre Baker Daniels LLP.

Jamie DrewryDiversity & Flexibility Alliance: How have you made flexibility a priority and a success through your schedule?

Jamie Drewry: I summered at FaegreBD in 2006 and then started as a full time, first year associate in 2007. As a first year associate, my primary focus was to build relationships with the partners in my group; I had a very internal versus external focus. In 2013, I was a sixth year associate and had my first child. The firm has a very generous maternity leave policy, and I was out on leave for about four months. I came back full time, but when I found out I was pregnant with my second child about one year later, I started to explore flex as an option. I knew the firm had flexible schedule options, but I really hadn’t looked into them before.

FaegreBD made switching to a flex schedule an easy choice. It was clear the firm meant what they advertised on paper regarding their flex policy. I moved to a schedule with 80 percent of the standard billable hour requirement in 2015 and went on another four month maternity leave after the birth of my second child. I was put up for partner while on leave, returned to work at an 80 percent, reduced hours schedule, and was made partner at the end of that year. This is my first full year as a partner, and it’s clear the firm has been incredibly supportive of my career and schedule.

I’m still in the office five days a week from 9am – 5pm, but I try to work from home one day a week. I focus on my kids in the morning and evening. Once the kids are in bed, I return my focus to work with the goal of preserving my weekends. Read more