Tag Archive for: gender parity

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Action Step – INCREASING GENDER PARITY WITH CONSISTENCY & INTENTIONALITY

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. 

Our 2024 New Partner Report demonstrates concerning results.  The 41.6% share of women in the 2024 new partner class represents a nearly 2% decline from last year’s figure of 43.3%.  Further, we saw declines across AmLaw 50, 100, and 200 firms, a nearly 3% increase in the gap in the share of new women partners compared to the share of women associates, and a reduction in the new partner class size by an average of 1.3 partners.  These data points demonstrate consistency in the reduced share of women in new partner classes across firm sizes, a pipeline challenge at the top, the shrinking of the overall pool of advancement opportunities, and a boomerang effect over the years pointing to the volatility of women promotions.

On a more positive note, we did see certain bright spots.  Notably, member firms had an average of 1.6% higher share of women partners in their U.S. new partner classes over the last five years.  In addition, a nearly 13% increase existed in the share of firms reporting a 50/50 split or greater in favor of women in U.S. new partner classes over the last two years.  We also saw a 2% decrease in the share of firms with no women partners from last year.  These bright spots suggest that a number of law firms are making concerted, intentional efforts to address gender imbalances during the partnership promotion process.

Firms need to adopt an intentional, structured and data-driven approach to make consistent progress with gender parity at the top.  The Alliance encourages organizations to leverage the data and recommendations from our 2024 New Partner Report along with specific practices discussed with top Talent & DEI leaders from firms with consistent progress regarding gender parity at our 2024 New Partner Summit.

Members: Continue reading this Action Step in the Member Resource Center

To read this entire Action Step become a member of the Diversity & Flexibility Alliance. To learn more contact Manar Morales.

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57 Law Firms Recognized for “Tipping the Scales” Towards Gender Parity  in New Partner Classes

2022 New Partner Report Shows Decline in Percentage of Women New Partners

Washington, DC (November 4, 2022) – Yesterday, during the Diversity and Flexibility Alliance’s Annual Conference, fifty-seven law firms were recognized for having 50% or more women in their 2022 U.S.-based new partner classes.  The firms, recognized as “Tipping the Scales,” were identified through the Diversity & Flexibility Alliance’s New Partner Report, a compilation of public data released each year since 2012.

The Report revealed that 40.2 percent of new partners from 206 major U.S. law firms in 2022 were women, which represents a decrease from last year’s figure of 40.9 percent.  Further, when looking at a representative sample (only AmLaw 100 & Alliance member firms), 40.3% of new partners were women in 2022, which represents a substantial drop of 2.1% from last year’s figure of 42.4%. More information on the report can be found here.

Other highlights include:

  • The average new partner class increased substantially (by 2.4 attorneys), despite the decrease in the share of women.
  • The nation’s top grossing firms had significant declines in the share of women in their new partner class.  In fact, firms in the AmLaw 50 and AmLaw 51-100 had significant declines in the shares of women of 4.2% and 4.9%, respectively.
  • The number of firms with a 50/50 split or greater of women in the new partner class decreased from 67 firms in 2021 to 57 firms in 2022.
  • For Diversity & Flexibility Alliance member firms, 42.9% of attorneys promoted to partnership were women, representing a 2.7% higher share of female partners compared to the overall share of women in this year’s new partner class (40.2%).
  • The number of firms reporting no women in their new partner class decreased from eight to six, however.

“While the overall dip in women new partners may seem inconsequential, any step backwards in a trend towards gender parity is concerning. Additionally, when looking at the representative sample of larger AmLaw 100 firms, the decline of 2.1% in women partners was more significant,” said Manar Morales, President & CEO of the Diversity & Flexibility Alliance. “The legal industry must be mindful of these trends and renew its commitment to increasing the share of women partners by focusing on the recruitment, retention, and advancement of women,” she added.

To reap the benefits of gender parity, the Diversity & Flexibility Alliance advises that law firm leaders pay close attention to building a pipeline of women and focusing on equity in their work distribution, mentorships, training, pay and evaluation systems. Additionally, firms are encouraged to develop intentional and inclusive hybrid working initiatives that benefit everyone.  It is important to note that many Alliance member firms have made systematic changes and taken intentional steps towards increasing gender diversity and therefore have seen quantifiable results in their promotions of a higher share of female new partners than nonmembers.

The “Tipping the Scales” firms recognized for having 50% or more women in their 2022 new partner class included:

 

1. Akerman

2. Arnold & Porter**

3. Baker Donelson

4. Bilzin Sumberg

5. Boies Schiller Flexner*

6. Bracewell

7. Brown Rudnick

8. Choate Hall

9. Clark Hill

10. Cole Schotz

11. Cole Scott

12. Davis Wright Tremaine**

13. Day Pitney

14. Debevoise & Plimpton

15. Dechert

16. Dickinson Wright

17. Epstein Becker & Green*

18. Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath 

19. Fisher & Phillips

 20. Foley Hoag*

21. Fox Rothschild 

22. Fredrikson & Byron

23. Haynes & Boone

24. Hinckley Allen

25. Hirschler

26. Hughes Hubbard & Reed

27. Jenner & Block

28. Jones Day*

29. Kutak Rock

30. Lane Powell

31. Lathrop GPM**

32. Loeb & Loeb

33. Marshall Dennehey

34. McCarter & English

35. Michael Best

36. Miller & Chevalier*

37. Nelson Mullins

38. Offit Kurman

 39. Parker, Hudson, Rainer & Dobbs 

40. Porter Wright

41. Robinson & Cole

42. Rutan & Tucker

43. Schulte Roth & Zabel

44. Shook, Hardy & Bacon*

45. Smith Gambrell

46. Squire Patton Boggs

47. Steptoe & Johnson

48. Stoel Rives

49. Thompson Coburn

50. Tucker Ellis

51. Vorys

52. Warner Norcross + Judd

53. Wiley Rein*

54. Willkie Farr & Gallagher

55. WilmerHale

56. Wolf, Greenfield & Sacks

57. Womble Bond Dickinson*

 

*Firms that have been recognized as “Tipping the Scales” for at least three years.

** Firms that have been recognized for all four years since we began the “Tipping the Scales” recognition. 

Diversity & Flexibility Alliance Member Firms are highlighted in orange

The Alliance has been compiling this data since 2012, when the data revealed that women only made up 33% of new partners.  It is important to note that, in 2021 as well as this year, the Alliance expanded the number of law firms included in the report, examining all public data from law firms in the AmLaw 200 (versus only AmLaw100 in previous years), as well as Alliance member law firms.  New partner data was collected from 206 law firms this year versus 187 firms in 2021.  For purposes of comparing data and trends to previous years, a Representative Sample was identified in this and last year’s report, including firms in the AmLaw100 as well as member firms.

The Diversity & Flexibility Alliance’s New Partner Report is a yearly compilation of data from the nation’s largest and top-grossing law firms (206 this year) examining the gender breakdown of attorneys promoted to partnership in their U.S. offices.  The data is based upon publicly available firm announcements and other self-reported sources on new partner classes with an effective date of promotion between October 1, 2021 and September 30, 2022.  Eight firms from the AmLaw 200 were not included because either data was not available or they had no partner promotions.

For ten years, the Diversity and Flexibility Alliance has collaborated with organizations to develop non-stigmatized flexible work policies that promote inclusive work cultures and help to advance more women into leadership positions. The Alliance provides practical research-based solutions, training workshops, and strategic advisory services that increase organizational effectiveness through diversity and flexibility.

 

Contact: Manar Morales

manar@dfalliance.com

301-580-2490

 

 

 

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67 LAW FIRMS RECOGNIZED FOR “TIPPING THE SCALES” TOWARDS GENDER PARITY IN NEW PARTNER CLASSES

2021 New Partner Report Released

Washington, DC  (November 4, 2021) – Yesterday, during the Diversity and Flexibility Alliance’s Annual Conference, sixty-seven law firms were recognized for having 50% or more women in their 2021 U.S.-based new partner classes.  The firms, recognized as “Tipping the Scales,” were identified through the Diversity & Flexibility Alliance’s New Partner Report, a compilation of public data released each year for the past ten years. The Report revealed that 42.4 percent of new partners from a Representative Sample of 122 major U.S. law firms in 2021 were women, which represents an increase from last year’s figure of 40.9 percent.

The “Tipping the Scales” firms recognized for having 50% or more women in their 2021 new partner class included:

1. Adams and Reese

2. Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld*

3. Alston & Bird

4. Arnold & Porter*

5. Baker & McKenzie

6. Baker Botts

7. Barnes & Thornburg

8. Beveridge & Diamond*

9. Brown Rudnick

10. Buchalter

11. Buchanan Ingersoll

12. Burr & Forman

13. Cooley*

14. Crowell & Moring*

15. Davis Wright Tremaine*

16. Duane Morris

17. Fenwick & West

18. Fish & Richardson*

19. Foley Hoag

20. Fragomen

21. Gordon Rees

22. Herrick

23. Hinckley Allen*

 24. Hollingsworth*

25. Honigman

26. Husch Blackwell

27. Ice Miller

28. Irell

29. Jackson Lewis

30. Jackson Walker

31. Jenner & Block*

32. Lathrop GPM*

33. Littler Mendelson

34. Locke Lord

35. Loeb & Loeb*

36. Manatt, Phelps & Phillips

37. Miles & Stockbridge

38. Miller & Chevalier*

39. Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo

40. Morgan, Lewis & Bockius*

41. Munger, Tolles & Olson

42. Norton Rose Fulbright*

43. Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart*

44. Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe

45. Patterson Belknap

 46. Perkins Coie*

47. Phelps Dunbar

48. Procopio Cory

49. Pryor Cashman

50. Quarles & Brady*

51. Reed Smith*

52. Robins Kaplan*

53. Schulte Roth & Zabel

54. Shearman & Sterling

55. Sherman & Howard

56. Shutts & Bowen*

57. Spencer Fane

58. Stoel Rives*

59. Stroock & Stroock & Lavan

60.Thompson Coburn

61. Vinson & Elkins

62. Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz

63. Weil, Gotshal & Manges

64. Wiley Rein*

65. Williams Mullen*

66. Willkie Farr & Gallagher

67. Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati*

*Diversity & Flexibility Alliance Member Firms

“In a year when record numbers of women have been forced to leave the workforce, gender parity at leadership levels has never been more important,” said Manar Morales, President & CEO of the Diversity & Flexibility Alliance. “We are optimistic about this small increase in women in partnership classes in large U.S. law firms and we encourage all organizations to recommit their efforts to recruiting, retaining and advancing women.”

“As organizations emerge from the pandemic and develop their post-pandemic hybrid working initiatives, it’s critical that they de-gender, de-parent and de-stigmatize flexibility, while also recognizing the critical impact that flexibility has on women in particular,” Morales said.  “We applaud our member firms, who have made systematic changes and taken intentional steps towards increasing gender diversity. These efforts have led to quantifiable results as our member firms promoted a higher share of female new partners (41.5%), compared to the overall share of women in this year’s new partner classes (40.9).”

The Alliance has been compiling this data since 2012, when the data revealed that women only made up 33% of new partners.  It is important to note that this year the Alliance expanded the number of law firms included in the report, examining all public data from law firms in the AmLaw 200 (versus only AmLaw100 in previous years), as well as Alliance member law firms.  New partner data was collected from 187 law firms this year versus 137 firms in 2020.  For purposes of comparing data and trends to previous years, a Representative Sample was identified in this year’s report, including firms in the AmLaw100 as well as member firms. When looking at the whole sample of 187 firms in 2021, 40.9 percent of new partners were women.

When looking at the Representative Sample, it’s interesting to note that the gap between the share of new women partners and the share of women associates and summer associates is decreasing.  This year’s 42.4 percent figure of the share of women in the new partner class when looking at a Representative Sample comes closer to the percentages of women associates (gap of 5.1% this year vs. gap of 5.9% in 2020) and women summer associates (gap of 11.2% this year vs. gap of 11.8% in 2020).  However, note that when looking at the whole sample of 187 firms, the gap has widened from last year (6.6% this year vs. 5.9% in 2020, regarding women associates, and 12.7% this year vs 11.8% in 2020, regarding women summer associates).

The Diversity & Flexibility Alliance’s New Partner Report is a yearly compilation of data from more than 100 (187 this year) of the nation’s largest and top-grossing law firms examining the gender breakdown of attorneys promoted to partnership in their U.S. offices.  The data is based upon publicly available firm announcements and other self-reported sources on new partner classes with an effective date of promotion between October 1, 2020 and September 30, 2021.

The Diversity and Flexibility Alliance is a think tank that collaborates with organizations to develop non-stigmatized flexible work policies that promote inclusive work cultures and help to advance more women into leadership positions. The Alliance provides practical research-based solutions, training workshops, and strategic advisory services that increase organizational effectiveness through diversity and flexibility.

 

Contact: Manar Morales

manar@dfalliance.com

202-957-9650

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Action Step – Gaining Gender and Racial Parity at the Top

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. 

The concerning results of our recently released 2020 New Partner Report, combined with the recent studies showing that women will be forced to leave the workforce due to the pandemic, could signal a step backwards for gender parity at top leadership levels. Our report shows that the share of women among new partners dropped slightly this year (40.9% in 2020 vs. 41.3% in 2019) and is only the second time over the last nine years when there was a year over year drop. Furthermore, according to NALP, the share of women minority partners at 3.45% is significantly lower than the share of total women partners (24.17%), indicating that cautionary trends uncovered from our 2020 New Partner Report would impact this group even more drastically. Organizations need to double down efforts now to increase the gender and ethnic parity at the top.

  1. Hiring with Intentionality. In our 2020 New Partner Report, we discussed the need to focus on strategically recruiting mid-level and senior level women attorneys through lateral hiring efforts, and we recommend organizations do the same for women of color. The representation of these groups at the associate level (46.77% women and 14.48% women of color)[1] is similar to the shares of these groups in terms of law school enrollment (54% women and 18.6% minority women),[2] but the representation of these groups greatly decrease at the partnership level (24.17% women and 3.45% women of color).[3] Organizations need to intentionally focus on increasing their women of color lateral recruiting pool by tapping into internal networks (i.e. women/diversity affinity group contacts; community contacts; client contacts), utilizing recruiters focused on diversity hiring, and setting diversity/gender goals regarding lateral recruiting based upon pipeline. Simultaneously, organizations need to make sure to attract top women of color through these hiring efforts. Conduct focus groups, check-in meetings and surveys to understand why women of color at the mid-level/senior level ranks chose your organization so you can publicize these policies/practices during interviews. Educate interviewers on diversity programs so they can raise them during interviews. Include a diverse interview panel, tapping into your women’s affinity group and diversity affinity group to secure interviewers.

[1] See “2019 Report on Diversity in U.S. Law Firms” NALP, December 2019. https://www.nalp.org/uploads/2019_DiversityReport.pdf

[2] See “Enrollment Data 2017-2019,” American Bar Association, 2019. https://www.americanbar.org/groups/legal_education/resources/statistics/

[3] See “2019 Report on Diversity in U.S. Law Firms” NALP, December 2019. https://www.nalp.org/uploads/2019_DiversityReport.pdf

Members: continue reading this Action Step in the Member Resource Center

To read this entire Action Step become a member of the Diversity & Flexibility Alliance. To further discuss your flexible working initiative during and after the pandemic, contact Manar Morales.

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46 Law Firms Recognized for “Tipping the Scales” Towards Gender Parity in New Partner Classes

2020 New Partner Report Released

Washington, DC – November 6, 2020 – Yesterday, during the Diversity and Flexibility Alliance’s Annual Conference, forty-six law firms were recognized for having 50% or more women in their 2020 U.S.-based new partner classes. The firms, recognized as “Tipping the Scales,” were identified through the Diversity & Flexibility Alliance’s New Partner Report, a compilation of public data released each year for the past nine years. The Report revealed that 40.9 percent of new partners in 137 major U.S. law firms in 2020 were women. This figure is a slight dip from the previous mark of 41.3 percent last year.

The “Tipping the Scales” firms recognized for having 50% or more women in their 2020 new partner class included:

1. Arent Fox
2. Arnold & Porter*
3. Boies Schiller Flexner
4. Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner
5. Cahill Gordon & Reindel
6. Cooley*
7. Covington & Burling*
8. Crowell & Moring*
9. Davis Wright Tremaine*
10. Dechert*
11. Epstein Becker & Green
12. Foley & Lardner
13. Foley Hoag
14. Gibbons*
15. Hodgson Russ*
16. Hogan Lovells*
17. Husch Blackwell
18. Jackson Lewis*
19. Jones Day*
20. Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel
21. Kutak Rock*
22. Lathrop GPM*
23. Littler Mendelson
24. Miles & Stockbridge
25. Miller & Chevalier*
26. Morgan, Lewis & Bockius*
27. Morrison & Foerster
28. Nixon Peabody
29. O’Melveny & Myers*
30. Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman
31. Quarles & Brady*
32. Ropes & Gray
33. Seyfarth Shaw*
34. Shook, Hardy & Bacon
35. Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom*
36. Steptoe
37. Thompson & Knight
38. Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz
39. Weil, Gotshal & Manges
40. White & Case*
41. Wiley Rein*
42. Wilkinson Barker Knauer, LLP
43. Williams & Connolly
44. WilmerHale
45. Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati
46. Womble Bond Dickinson
* Diversity & Flexibility Alliance Member Firm

“By promoting equal numbers of men and women to partner, these firms have signaled their commitment to gender parity and their understanding of the value that women in leadership brings to their firm and clients,” said Manar Morales, President & CEO of the Diversity & Flexibility Alliance. “While this year’s results are similar to last year’s numbers, it is concerning that the percentage of women advancing to partnership has dropped slightly. This data, combined with the recent studies showing that women will be forced to leave the workforce due to the COVID 19 pandemic, could signal a significant step backwards in the efforts to achieve gender parity.”

“I recommend that all organizations commit to an intentional gender diversity strategy that includes important systemic changes,” Morales said.  “We applaud our member firms, many of whom took these intentional steps towards increasing gender diversity, leading to quantifiable results as our member firms promoted a substantially higher share of female new partners (43%), compared to the overall share of women in this year’s new partner classes (40.9%),” she added.

The Alliance has been compiling this data and releasing this report for nine years. While this year represents an increase of 7.7 percentage points since 2012, it represents a slight dip from last year of 0.4 percentage points and is only the second time over the last nine years when there was a year over year drop (2013 to 2014 was the only other time the figure dropped). The 2020 New Partner Report also found that the gap between the share of new women partners and the share of women associates has widened. This year, the difference between the share of women partners and women associates was 5.9%, whereas in 2019 it was 4.6%.

The Diversity & Flexibility Alliance’s New Partner Report is a yearly compilation of data from more than 100 (137 this year) of the nation’s largest and top-grossing law firms examining the gender breakdown of attorneys promoted to partnership in their U.S. offices. The data is based upon publicly available firm announcements and other self-reported sources on new partner classes with an effective date of promotion between October 1, 2019 and September 30, 2020.

The Diversity and Flexibility Alliance is a think tank that collaborates with organizations to develop non-stigmatized flexible work policies that promote inclusive work cultures and help to advance more women into leadership positions. The Alliance provides practical research-based solutions, training workshops, and strategic advisory services that increase organizational effectiveness through diversity and flexibility.

 

Contact: Manar Morales

manar@dfalliance.com

202-957-9650

Congratulations to the Alliance Member Firms Named Best Law Firms For Women

Congratulations to all the law firms named to Working Mother Media’s 2020 Best Law Firms for Women List.  These firms are being recognized for their “efforts and successes in finding, retaining and promoting women lawyers” and we commend their commitment to gender parity.

The Best Law Firms for Women List has been published for the last thirteen years.  Law firms are asked to complete an application including more than 300 questions about attorney demographics at different levels, schedule flexibility, paid time off and parental leaves, and development and retention of women.

We are particularly proud to congratulate the following Diversity & Flexibility Alliance members named to the 2020 List:

  1. Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer
  2. Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck
  3. Cooley
  4. Crowell & Moring
  5. Davis Wright Tremaine
  6. Dechert
  7. DLA Piper
  8. Dorsey & Whitney
  9. Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath
  10. Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner
  11. Fish & Richardson
  12. Jackson Lewis P.C.
  13. Katten
  14. Latham & Watkins
  15. Morgan, Lewis & Bockius
  16. Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart
  17. O’Melveny & Myers
  18. Perkins Coie
  19. Quarles & Brady
  20. Reed Smith
  21. Seyfarth Shaw
  22. Sidley Austin
  23. Wiley

These Forty-Four Firms Are Demonstrating Their Commitment to Gender Parity in the Legal Industry

As we announced in our 2017 New Partner Report, there were 44 firms that promoted 50% or more women in this year’s new partner class. Congratulations to these firms for their commitment to gender parity and for developing a top quality leadership team.

  1. Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer
  2. Baker Donelson
  3. Covington & Burling
  4. Cravath, Swaine & Moore
  5. Crowell & Moring
  6. Debevoise & Plimpton
  7. Dorsey & Whitney
  8. Drinker Biddle & Reath
  9. Epstein Becker & Green
  10. Eversheds Sutherland
  11. Fitzpatrick, Cella, Harper & Scinto
  12. Foley Hoag
  13. Fragomen, Del Rey, Bernsen & Loewy
  14. Goldberg Kohn
  15. Haynes and Boone
  16. Hughes Hubbard & Reed
  17. Hunton & Williams
  18. Husch Blackwell
  19. Jenner & Block
  20. Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel
  21. Kutak Rock
  22. LeClairRyan
  23. Littler Mendelson
  24. Locke Lord
  25. Loeb & Loeb
  26. McDermott Will & Emery
  27. Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy
  28. Miles & Stockbridge
  29. Miller & Chevalier
  30. Morrison & Foerster
  31. Nixon Peabody
  32. O’Melveny & Myers
  33. Parker Poe Adams & Bernstein
  34. Paul Hastings
  35. Pepper Hamilton
  36. Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman
  37. Quarles & Brady
  38. Schulte Roth & Zabel
  39. Steptoe & Johnson
  40. Van Ness Feldman
  41. Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz
  42. Weil, Gotshal & Manges
  43. Williams & Connolly
  44. Willkie Farr & Gallagher

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