These law firms were named as top family- and female-friendly workplaces by Yale Law Women
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Yale Law Women’s latest report on top law firms for gender and family friendliness is taking a new approach, with more categories and more opportunities to acknowledge law firms.
Yale Law Women developed its lists from a survey sent to all law firms listed in the 2020 Vault 100 and from alumni working at those firms. More than half the law firms participated in the survey, which reflected data at U.S. offices.
The data was gathered before the COVID-19 pandemic, which is creating a new challenge for for law firms, the report said. A press release is here.
“Law firms must assess the adequacy of their policies and reach for empathetic solutions to the new problems posed by COVID-19,” the report said.
“In the coming months, how the firms in this report respond to this crisis will influence the future of the industry. These firms should strive to respond equitably to questions including how to accommodate employees’ domestic responsibilities and health care needs and which employees they retain if layoffs become unavoidable.”
According to the Yale Law Women, these are the top firms in the newly expanded categories:
Top Firms for Hiring Practices:
• Allen & Overy
• Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft
• Jenner & Block
• Linklaters
• Munger, Tolles & Olson
• Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati
Top Firms for Diverse Partnership:
• Morrison & Foerster
• Munger, Tolles & Olson
• Steptoe & Johnson
Top Firms for Inclusion Initiatives:
• Cahill Gordon & Reindel
• Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton
• Jenner & Block
• Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison
• Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman
• Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz
Top Firms for LGBTQ Representation:
• Allen & Overy
• Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft
• Jenner & Block
• Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton
Top Firms for Promotion Practices:
• Ballard Spahr
• Blank Rome
• Cravath, Swaine & Moore
• Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel
• White & Case
Top Firms for Women in Leadership:
• Latham & Watkins
• Morgan, Lewis & Bockius
• Ropes & Gray
• Sidley Austin
Top Firms for Flexible Work Options:
• Hogan Lovells US
• Littler Mendelson
• Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe
• Perkins Coie
Top Firms for Advancement for Part-Time Attorneys:
• Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel
• Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe
• Ropes & Gray
• Winston & Strawn
Top Firms for Parental & Caregiver Leave:
• Ballard Spahr
• Foley Hoag
• Kirkland & Ellis
Top Firms for Working Mothers & Family Planning:
• Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld
• Cravath, Swaine & Moore
• Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr
The report also gathered information on whether firms require mandatory arbitration agreements for at least some types of legal disputes as a condition of employment.
Forty-seven percent of the firms do not require such contracts for associates; 38% don’t require them for equity partners; 43% don’t require them for other attorneys; and 36% don’t require them for nonlegal employees.
Bloomberg Law and Law.com also have coverage of the survey.
