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Bright Spots

Celebrating successes to build momentum for future initiatives.

When you’ve worked hard to create an important diversity or flexibility initiative that truly impacts your organization’s bottom line, recruitment and retention capabilities, or employee satisfaction, you should celebrate your Bright Spots.

Bright Spots can be small or large successes that impact your organization in a positive way.

When you share your Bright Spots you’re building momentum for future initiatives and support from your colleagues. The simple act of compiling your successes can help you self-reflect, take stock, and plan future goals.

As a community of organizations dedicated to the evolution of diversity and flexibility in the workplace, we want to share your successes. We also hope to start a “Ripple Effect” so organizations will see positive results elsewhere and implement the same strategies at home.

SUBMIT YOUR BRIGHT SPOT

We encourage you to take a moment to reflect on your successes and celebrate your Bright Spots with us.

Please take 10 minutes to share your Bright Spots with us, and you’ll be entered to win a $50 Starbucks gift card!

Fill out the short submission form and email it to Jane Caldeira. Please make sure you give your form a new “Save As” name.

Download Submission Form

CURRENT BRIGHT SPOT

Bright Spot: Kutak Rock’s COVID-19 Response

August 25, 2020/by dfalliance

In an effort to inform and inspire our members and friends, we often share diversity and flexibility Bright Spots – those small or large successes that impact an organization in a positive way. We believe that important diversity and flexibility initiatives can truly impact your organization’s bottom line, recruitment and retention capabilities and employee satisfaction.

BRIGHT SPOT

Kutak Rock’s operating procedures during the COVID-19 pandemic are clear Bright Spots that demonstrate its people-first philosophy. Before the COVID-19 National Emergency was declared on March 13, 2020, the firm’s Regional Managing Partner for D.C. and Virginia had begun discussions with firm leadership about operating procedures aimed at keeping people safe at home and working. The procedures, which remain today and apply to all staff and attorneys, allowed for 100% remote working on a “reason-neutral” basis.

Kutak Rock leadership worked with each employee on a case-by-case basis to ensure that everyone continued to be productive and maintain their positions and their employment status while working remotely. The focus continues to be on keeping all employees and offices safe from COVID (first and foremost) and helping every individual become productive in this unique COVID work environment.

The firm also made it a priority to provide several training sessions focused on remote learning, including:

A weekly set of training options about the logistics of remote work (submitting time, setting up a printer, security, etc.);
A seminar attended by over 90% of the firm’s associates focused on ongoing professional development in a remote work environment;
Annual inclusiveness training with information about creating inclusive working teams in remote and hybrid remote/in-person environments; and,
A session with firm leadership with information about building teams in a remote or hybrid remote/in-person environment.

RECENT BRIGHT SPOTS

Bright Spot: Firms that Are “Tipping the Scales” In Favor of Women Partners

November 20, 2019/by dfalliance

In an effort to inform and inspire our members and friends, we often share diversity and flexibility Bright Spots – those small or large successes that impact an organization in a positive way. We believe that important diversity and flexibility initiatives can truly impact your organization’s bottom line, recruitment and retention capabilities and employee satisfaction.

Law Firms that Are “Tipping the Scales” With 50% or More Women in Their 2019 New Partner Class

BRIGHT SPOT

At our 2019 Annual Conference, we recognized fifty-one law firms for having 50% or more women in their 2019 U.S.-based new partner class. The firms, recognized as “Tipping the Scales,” were identified through our New Partner Report, a compilation of public data and self-reported sources released each year for the past eight years. The Report revealed that 41.3 percent of new partners in 138 major U.S. law firms in 2019 were women, surpassing last year’s mark by 2.4 percentage points. The Executive Summary is publicly available here.

The “Tipping the Scales” firms recognized for having 50% or more women in their 2019 new partner class included:

1. Akerman

2. Alston & Bird

3. Arent Fox

4. Arnold & Porter

5. Ballard Spahr

6. Boies Schiller Flexner

7. Bracewell

8. Cahill Gordon & Reindel

9. Cravath, Swaine & Moore

10. Crowell & Moring

11. Davis Polk & Wardwell

12. Davis Wright Tremaine

13. Debevoise & Plimpton

14. Dentons

15. Dickinson Wright

16. Drinker Biddle & Reath

17.

Bright Spot: Hogan Lovells’ Agile Working Initiative

October 28, 2019/by dfalliance

In 2019, we will be sharing diversity and flexibility Bright Spots – those small or large successes that impact your organization in a positive way. We believe that important diversity and flexibility initiatives can truly impact your organization’s bottom line, recruitment and retention capabilities and employee satisfaction.

BRIGHT SPOT

Hogan Lovells – Agile Working Initiative

One of international law firm, Hogan Lovells’ Diversity & Flexibility Bright Spots is its Global Agile Working Initiative. Launched in 2016, this initiative allows all attorneys and business services members in all offices worldwide to adopt an agile working plan. Employees who choose to adopt an agile working arrangement may utilize a combination of flexible working options including remote working, reduced hours, staggered arrival and departure times, job sharing, and telecommuting. Hogan Lovells even developed a “tool kit” to help explain and implement the policy.

IMPACT

Agile working at Hogan Lovells has allowed the firm to improve talent retention, promote stronger engagement, create a new sense of community, and has given its employees more control over how to balance their personal and professional lives. Lawyers at Hogan Lovells report satisfaction with their arrangements and have shared that the options and flexibility provided by the firm are key in their decision to stay at the firm. The Diversity & Flexibility Alliance honored Hogan Lovells in 2017 with one of our inaugural Flex Impact Awards. While benefitting men and women, the Global Agile Working Initiative has had the added bonus of helping the firm make significant progress towards its goal of having women make up 30 percent of its partners by 2022. Hogan Lovells was also the honoree for Dell’s Outside Counsel Diversity Award.

Bright Spot: Winston & Strawn’s Gender-Neutral Parental Leave Policy

April 10, 2019/by integritive

In 2019, we will be sharing diversity and flexibility Bright Spots – those small or large successes that impact your organization in a positive way. We believe that important diversity and flexibility initiatives can truly impact your organization’s bottom line, recruitment and retention capabilities and employee satisfaction.

BRIGHT SPOT

One of international law firm Winston & Strawn’s Bright Spots is its Gender-Neutral Parental Leave Policy. After working with the Alliance to clearly identify employee needs and firm goals, Winston & Strawn was able to expand its parental leave policy to better support the demands of today’s families. Implemented in 2016, the policy allows 20 weeks of paid leave for attorneys regardless of gender to care for and bond with a new baby or child. Additionally, parents are not required to designate themselves as “primary” or “secondary” caregivers. The parental leave can be taken at one time or in two increments within a year of the birth or adoption of a child.

Winston also developed a Parental Leave Transition Support Program that includes a Parental Leave Liaison, an external, confidential career coach, and “ramp down” and “ramp up” periods during which billable hours are adjusted to aid in the transition for new parents. The policy applies to all US-based Associates and Of Counsel attorneys. Improvements also were made to the policies for practice attorneys and staff.

IMPACT

By removing the primary and secondary caregiver designations, Winston & Strawn has been able to shift the focus of parental leave from one that focuses on just women to one that focuses on all parents. Since the implementation of the policy, the firm has seen a consistent year-over-year increase in the percentage of men taking parental leave,

Implement meaningful change within your organization.

Benefits of Membership

Bright Spots

Celebrating successes to build momentum for future initiatives.

SUBMIT YOUR BRIGHT SPOT

CURRENT BRIGHT SPOT

Bright Spot: Kutak Rock’s COVID-19 Response

RECENT BRIGHT SPOTS

Bright Spot: Firms that Are “Tipping the Scales” In Favor of Women Partners

Bright Spot: Hogan Lovells’ Agile Working Initiative

Bright Spot: Winston & Strawn’s Gender-Neutral Parental Leave Policy

Implement meaningful change within your organization.

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