Biglaw, Rankings

The Top 10 Most Family-Friendly Law Firms (2016)

Did your firm make the cut for this year's prestigious list?

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baby suitYear in and year out, many large law firms give a lot of lip service to work/life balance, but at some firms, it is, in fact, possible to be an attorney with a family. At some of these firms, new parents are actually allowed to be parents thanks to generous parental leave policies and part-time and flex-time working arrangements. But which firms are the best when it comes to these policies?

Earlier this week, the Yale Law Women came out with their annual list of the top ten family-friendly firms. We cover this list every year (see our posts from 2015, 2014,2013, 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009, and 2008). How has this list changed year over year? Which firms made the cut in 2016? Which firms had the best options available to both women and men? Let’s take a look at the latest ranking for the most family-friendly firms.

Here’s the list of the most family-friendly firms according to Yale Law Women:

  • Arnold & Porter
  • Foley Hoag
  • Foley & Lardner
  • Goodwin Procter
  • K&L Gates
  • Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky & Popeo
  • O’Melveny & Myers
  • Morrison & Foerster
  • Vinson & Elkins
  • WilmerHale

In 2016, the following firms were booted from the list after having made an appearance last year: Cadwalader, Duane Morris, Hogan Lovells, Hunton & Williams, Kirkland & Ellis, Munger Tolles, and Orrick. That’s more than half of last year’s honorees. What on earth could have happened at these firms for them to be axed from the list?

The three returning firms are Arnold & Porter (an institution on this list; it’s been recognized every year since we began our coverage), MoFo (honored for the third year in a row), and WilmerHale (honored for the second year in a row after an absence in 2013 and 2014; previously, the firm was on the YLW list from 2009 to 2012). These three firms are joined by Foley Hoag, Foley & Lardner, Goodwin Procter, K&L Gates, Mintz Levin, O’Melveny, and Vinson & Elkins (returning to the list after dropping off last year).

Here’s a round-up of useful information about some of the YLW study’s findings:

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  • Part-Time & Flex-Time Policies – Among participating firms, at least 65% of offices had attorneys who made partner in the last 5 years were currently working or had previously worked part-time or flexible full-time schedules.
  • Family Leave – Many law firms adhere to an emerging industry norm of offering 18 weeks for primary caregivers and ­­4 weeks for secondary caregivers, but eligibility for leave varies.
  • Gender Equity – Among participating firms, 45% of associates were women, and 21% of partners were women.
  • Bonuses & Billing – 49% of participating firms required full-time associates to work a minimum number of billable hours to receive a bonus; for those firms, the median minimum was 1,950.
  • Professional Development – At least 48% of participating firms used upward reviews to evaluate and provide feedback to supervising lawyers, and all firms had a coaching/mentoring program.

The Yale Law Women have been conducting this study for 11 years, and while vast improvements have been made in terms of parental accommodations offerings in that time, there is still a lot of work to be done. We said this last year, but it bears repeating in a world where Biglaw parents are having a tough time being parents to their children: “The legal profession has come a long way in terms of attempting to afford equal opportunities for success for both men and women, but it’s still got a long way to go. Why are lawyers still hurrying up and waiting for change? We shouldn’t be applauding a system that, in most cases, penalizes parents.”

Demand the change that you need now, and keep raising the issue until your requests are heard. There is power in numbers, and Biglaw firms will eventually be forced to listen to those who crave time with their families — without facing professional repercussions.

2016 Top Ten Family Friendly Firms List [Yale Law Women]

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Staci Zaretsky is an editor at Above the Law. Feel free to email her with any tips, questions, or comments. Follow her on Twitter or connect with her on LinkedIn.

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