Shakeup marks top 10 family-friendly law firms for 2017
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Updated: Yale Law Women has announced its list of the top 10 family-friendly law firms for 2017, and it looks a lot different than last year’s list.
Only three firms appear on both lists, Above the Law reports. The three returning firms are Arnold & Porter (now Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer as a result of a merger), Morrison & Foerster, and O’Melveny & Myers. An executive summary is here (PDF), and the full report is here (PDF).
The top 10, in alphabetical order, are:
• Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer
• Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton
• Jenner & Block
• King & Spalding
• Morrison & Foerster
• Munger, Tolles & Olson
• O’Melveny & Myers
• Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe
• Proskauer Rose
• Simpson Thacher & Bartlett
Cecilia Cheng, chair of the top ten committee, told Above the Law that one reason the list changed is methodology. The 2016 list was based on data from the National Association for Law Placement. Because of timing issues related to the NALP data, this year’s list is based on a survey of law firms in the 2017 Vault 100.
Cheng also said the list often changes when firms are surveyed because the focus is on what they have done in the past year to promote family friendliness.
The survey also awarded category honors.
The firms with the highest percentage of associates on part-time schedules are Hunton & Williams; Squire Patton Boggs; and Perkins Coie.
The firms with the highest percent of lawyers in 2016 promoted to partner who have worked part-time or flexible full-time schedules are Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe; Morrison & Foerster; and Munger, Tolles & Olson.
The firms with the greatest number of weeks offered to associates for caretaker leave are Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe; Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati; and Winston & Strawn.
The firms with the highest percent of male associates and partners taking caregiver leave are Linklaters, Jenner & Block and Mintz Levin.
The firms where more than half the lawyers promoted to partner in 2016 were women are Perkins Coie, Steptoe & Johnson and Simpson Thacher & Bartlett.
The firms where at least 40 percent of the executive or management committee is comprised of women are Latham & Watkins and Morrison & Foerster.
Firms where at least 25 percent of the equity partners are women are WilmerHale and Ropes & Gray.
Updated at 12:24 p.m. to correct lede.
