Women in the Law

50 best law firms for women named; more have women in top rainmaker ranks

  •  
  •  
  •  
  • Print

Women are among the top rainmakers at an increasing percentage of law firms named as most hospitable for women.

Working Mother and Flex-Time Lawyers today released their list of the 50 Best Law Firms for Women. Seventy-eight percent of the firms on this year’s list have one or more women among their top 10 rainmakers, up from 69 percent of firms last year, according to a press release (PDF). An executive summary (PDF) has more information.

The list is based on factors such as representation of women in the workforce and in leadership positions, flexibility, compensation, and development and retention of women, according to a summary of methodology.

At the top 50 firms:

• Nineteen percent of the equity partners are women, up from 16 percent when the best law firms initiative was launched in 2007.

• Twenty-nine percent of the nonequity partners are women, up from 22 percent in 2007.

• Women hold 22 of executive committee seats, 23 percent of compensation committee seats, and 24 percent of equity partner promotion committee seats.

• All 50 firms offer flex-time and reduced hours, though only 15 percent of the lawyers use flex-time and only 9 percent work reduced hours. Forty-eight of the 50 firms allow lawyers working reduced hours to be eligible for equity partnership, though an average of only one lawyer per firm received a promotion while working fewer hours.

Here is the top 50 list:

Baker & McKenzie

Chapman and Cutler

Cooley

Crowell & Moring

Debevoise & Plimpton

DLA Piper (US)

Dorsey & Whitney

Duane Morris

Faegre Baker Daniels

Farella Braun & Martel

Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner

Foley & Lardner

Frankfurt Kurnit Klein & Selz

Fredrikson & Byron

Fulbright & Jaworski

Gibbons

Godfrey & Kahn

Goodwin Procter

Hanson Bridgett

Haynes and Boone

Hogan Lovells US

Holland & Hart

Honigman Miller Schwartz and Cohn

Hunton & Williams

Ice Miller

Jenner & Block

Katten Muchin Rosenman

Kirkland & Ellis

Latham & Watkins

Leonard, Street and Deinard

Lindquist & Vennum

Littler Mendelson

Lowenstein Sandler

Manatt, Phelps & Phillips

McGuireWoods

Neal, Gerber & Eisenberg

O’Melveny & Myers

Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe

Paul Hastings

Perkins Coie

Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman

Quarles. & Brady

Reed Smith

Schiff Hardin

Seyfarth Shaw

Shook, Hardy & Bacon

Sidley Austin

Thompson Hine

Vinson & Elkins

Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr

Give us feedback, share a story tip or update, or report an error.