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7 firms named as best employers for women
Seven law firms with Australian presences have featured in a Best Law Firms for Women listing in the United States.
Jerome Doraisamy
The 2018 Working Mother 60 list, compiled in conjunction with the US-based ABA Journal, has put together its eleventh annual ranking of firms that “utilise best practices to retain and promote women lawyers”.
“These firms also increasingly offer extended parental leave benefits and encourage more lawyers to work remotely and use flexible hours.”
The seven firms with Australian presences that made the list are: Baker McKenzie (where women were more than 40 per cent of new partners in 2017), Dentons (boasting a gender-neutral parental leave policy giving all lawyers 26 weeks off with up to 18 weeks full day), DLA Piper (with almost 40 per cent of firm sector leaders being female), Hogan Lovells (50 per cent of associates and 41 per cent of lawyers are women), Lathan & Watkins (in-house program giving associates the automatic option of working reduced hours for up to six months before and after parental leave), Reed Smith (women are 21 per cent of equity partners) and Seyfarth Shaw (where fee-earners can move back and forth between partnership and non-partnership tracks).
In response to the publication of the top 60 list, Dentons WomenLEAD co-chair Christina Carroll said it is “committed to recruiting, retaining, mentoring and advancing the careers of our talented women lawyers and professionals”.
“It is with great enthusiasm that we receive this recognition as we continue to strive to build upon each success to create a more diverse and inclusive firm culture,” noted DLA Piper Leadership Alliance for Women co-chair Lisa Haile.
Baker McKenzie tweeted: “Proud to be named among the best law firms for women, recognising our commitment to retaining and promoting women”.
And Seyfarth Shaw Women’s Network chair Ellen McLaughlin said, “This is a tremendous honour which recognises our continued best practices around flexibility and support for women’s advancement.”
Jerome Doraisamy
Jerome Doraisamy is the editor of Lawyers Weekly. A former lawyer, he has worked at Momentum Media as a journalist on Lawyers Weekly since February 2018, and has served as editor since March 2022. He is also the host of all five shows under The Lawyers Weekly Podcast Network, and has overseen the brand's audio medium growth from 4,000 downloads per month to over 60,000 downloads per month, making The Lawyers Weekly Show the most popular industry-specific podcast in Australia. Jerome is also the author of The Wellness Doctrines book series, an admitted solicitor in NSW, and a board director of Minds Count.
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