Which Firms Offer Women The Most Power And Highest Pay? (2014)

In a profession ruled by men, these Biglaw firms have taken steps to level the playing field for women.

When women in law aren’t being told how to dress and act appropriately, they’re busy watching their firms brag about their dedication to advancing women in the profession, while at the same time being constantly passed over for partnership promotions and leadership positions in favor of their male colleagues. That doesn’t seem fair, does it?

We’ve said it once, and we’ll say it again: “Biglaw lives to serve men, and in most cases, they are the ones claiming all of the power, the prestige, and most importantly, the money, while women are left in the dust.” At some large law firms, it’s a different story. Some firms offer women the chance to rise through the ranks to become major power players and to receive startlingly booming compensation — and rank among the most family friendly.

Thanks to the Women in Law Empowerment Forum (WILEF), we have a way to find out exactly which firms are on top when it comes to offering women attorneys the chance to perform on par with their male colleagues in terms of prestige and pay. Let’s check out the list…

WILEF offers Biglaw firms with 200 or more lawyers practicing in the U.S. the chance to become Gold Standard certified, meaning that they must comply with four of six benchmarks meant to drive women lawyers to succeed in business development and leadership roles. Here are the criteria:

  • Women account for at least 20% of equity partners or alternatively, 33% or more of the attorneys becoming equity partners during the past twelve months.
  • Women represent at least 10% of firm chairs and office managing partners.
  • Women make up at least 20% of the firm’s primary governance committee.
  • Woman represent 20% or more of the firm’s compensation committee.
  • Women make up at least 25% of practice group leaders or department heads.
  • Women represent at least 10% of the top half of the most highly compensated partners.

This year, 45 firms made the cut, compared to last year’s showing of 42 firms. Biglaw firms continue to tout their commitment to women’s initiatives, yet not even half of the Am Law 100 appears on this list. It’s a bit disheartening when you think of it that way. Here are the 2014 recipients of Gold Standard certification:

Sponsored

Ballard Spahr
Cahill Gordon & Reindel
Cooley
Covington & Burling
Davis Polk & Wardwell
Davis Wright Tremaine
Dentons
DLA Piper
Epstein Becker & Green
Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner
Ford & Harrison
Fredrikson & Byron
Frost Brown Todd
Gibbons
Haynes & Boone
Hogan Lovells
Holland & Hart
Holland & Knight
Hughes Hubbard & Reed
Jackson Lewis
K&L Gates
Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton
Latham & Watkins
Littler Mendelson
Locke Lord
Manatt, Phelps & Phillips
McCarter & English
McKenna Long & Aldridge
Morrison & Foerster
Nixon Peabody
Norton Rose Fulbright
Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe
Paul Hastings
Perkins Coie
Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman
Quarles & Brady
Reed Smith
Schiff Hardin
Shook, Hardy & Bacon
Sidley Austin
Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom
Steptoe & Johnson
Stoel Rives
Sutherland Asbill & Brennan
Thompson Hine

Although WILEF doesn’t tell us how the firms stack up against one another in terms of the criteria needed for certification, we do know that only seven firms met all six benchmarks for excellence. Those firms are: FordHarrison (certified for the fourth year in a row, recertified in all six criteria); Fredrikson & Byron (certified for the third year in a row in all six categories); Holland & Hart (certified for the fourth year in a row, recertified in all six criteria); Hogan Lovells US (certified for the second year in a row); Norton Rose Fulbright (certified for the fourth year in a row); Reed Smith (certified for the fourth year in a row in all six categories); and Shook Hardy & Bacon (certified for the fourth year in a row in all six categories).

Vivia Chen of The Careerist also received a copy of the list, and here’s what she observed:

This year, there were two notable first-timers on the list: Cahill Gordon & Reindel and Steptoe & Johnson (the Washington, D.C.-based one, not the one in the Midwest.). There were also some big name droputs from last year (Goodwin Procter; Jenner & Block; and Simpson Thacher & Bartlett).

Congratulations are in order for Cahill and Steptoe, but we wonder what’s going on at the other three firms. If you have any information, please reach out to us via email. We keep all of our tipsters anonymous.

Sponsored

Of the firms that were certified on WILEF’s 2014 list, which had the highest percentage of female attorneys on their management committees? We have data from the American Lawyer that dates back to January 2013. Things may have changed since that time, but the top-rated firms then were Cooley (25 percent); Fulbright & Jaworski (now known as Norton Rose Fulbright) (50 percent); Paul Hastings (26 percent); Reed Smith (38 percent); Shook Hardy & Bacon (36 percent); and Sutherland Asbill & Brennan (33 percent).

Last, but certainly not least, if you’re wondering which firms offer women the chance to attain a sense of work/life balance through family-friendly programming while they’re busy making bank, they are as follows: Hogan Lovells US; Morrison & Foerster; and Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe.

In all, if we had to pick a winner this year, it seems like it would be a toss-up between Reed Smith, Hogan Lovells (US), and Norton Rose Fulbright. Each firm makes an appearance on two of the “best of” lists mentioned above, allowing women attorneys to earn top compensation while offering them leadership opportunities and an active family life. We commend you on a job well done.

Congratulations to all of the firms that met WILEF’s criteria for Gold Standard certification. You have our thanks for rising to the top of the Biglaw pack when it comes to women’s empowerment. We still have a long way to go, but these firms are making big strides in the right direction.

WILEF Certification [Women in Law Empowerment Forum]
Top 45 Firms for Women [The Careerist]

Earlier: Which Firms Offer Women the Most Power and Highest Pay?
The Top 10 Family-Friendly Law Firms (2014)
Leading Lady Lawyers: Ranking the Am Law 100 By Women in Leadership Roles