In 2009, Justice Sonia Sotomayor was confirmed to the Supreme Court, and Justice Elena Kagan won confirmation a year later, in 2010. With Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, there are now three women seated upon the highest court in the land, the most women in the history of the Supreme Court.
In 2010, Kathleen Sullivan was elevated to name partner at Quinn Emanuel, officially making the full name of the firm Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan. Sullivan is the first woman to become a name partner at an Am Law 100 firm.
In 2016, Biglaw saw the most women in seats of power in the history of the profession. The following women are either firmwide chairs or managing partners of their Am Law 200 firms. (We’ll offer our apologies in advance because we may be missing a few of these path-breaking women, so please email us and let us know, and we will update this list as soon as possible.)
Legal Is Changing. And NeoSummit Is Where The Future Is Being Built.
Legal and operational leaders are gathering May 6–7 in Fort Lauderdale to confront the questions the industry hasn't answered—with a keynote from Amanda Knox setting the tone.
- Akin Gump – Kim Koopersmith
- Arnold & Porter – Anne Davis
- Bryan Cave – Therese Pritchard
- Cravath – Faiza Saeed
- Crowell & Moring – Angela Styles
- Holland & Hart – Elizabeth Sharrer
- Littler Mendelson – Lisa “Lee” Schreter
- Locke Lord – Jerry Clements
- Morgan Lewis – Jami Wintz McKeon
- Morrison & Foerster – Tessa Schwartz
- Quarles & Brady – Kimberly Johnson
- Shook Hardy & Bacon – Madeleine McDonough
- WilmerHale – Susan Murley
- Womble Carlyle – Betty Temple
Where will women in the legal profession be in 2026? We challenge law firms and companies both small and large to do what’s right and strive to improve this profession for the women who work in it. We hope you’ll be able achieve this worthy goal. We’re slowly but surely making much-needed advances in terms of gender equality for female lawyers, and Above the Law will be there to document and celebrate each and every positive development along the way. Thank you for joining us on this journey.
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.