The Top 10 Most Female-Friendly Law Firms (2018)

Gender equality in the legal profession has become even more important in the #MeToo era, and the last year has brought to light many of the disparities that women face when they head into the office each and every day. From pay to partnership promotions to the composition of leadership committees to family policies, there are many areas where law firms must change to keep up with the times. Thankfully, law firms are becoming more progressive, but which firms are doing the best they can for women in all areas?

This year, the Yale Law Women released its inaugural ranking of the Top 10 Female-Friendly Firms, piggybacking off its annual list of the Top 10 Family-Friendly Firms. We cover the latter ranking every year (see our posts from 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009, and 2008), and intend to cover YLW’s important new ranking every year in the future.

Which firms made the cut in 2018? Let’s take a look at the latest rankings.

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

• Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer
• Bryan Cave
• Hogan Lovells
• Holland & Knight
• Katten Muchin Rosenman
• Littler
• McDermott Will & Emery
• Morgan, Lewis & Bockius
• Morrison & Foerster
• Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe

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

Gender Equity: Of the firms surveyed, 46% of associates were women, 21% of equity partners were women, and 36% of attorneys promoted to equity partner in 2017 were women.

Leadership & Promotions: Of the firms surveyed, 36% of new equity partners were women, 24% of heads of practice groups were women, 22% of partners who were heads of offices were women, and 25% of Executive Committee members were women.

Training & Mentorship: Of the firms surveyed, 26% of partners participating in formal mentorship programs were women, 48% of junior associates participating in formal mentorship programs were women, and 43% of partners participating in their firm’s committee for diversity and inclusion were women.

The YLW also awarded Category Honors in those three categories:

Gender Equity

• At least 50% of associates were women at the following firms: Arnoled & Porter; Bryan Cave; Cleary Gottlieb; Drinker Biddle; Hogan Lovells; Holland & Knight; Littler; McDermott Will; Morgan Lewis; O’Melveny; and Squire Patton Boggs.
• At least 25% of equity partners were women at the following firms: Littler; Ropes & Gray; and Wilmerhale.

Leadership & Promotions

• In 2017, at least 50% of attorneys who were promoted to equity partner were women at the following firms: Arnold & Porter; Blank Rome; Cadwalader; Cravath; Kramer Levin; Littler; Morrison & Foerster; Sidley Austin; O’Melveny; and Wachtell.

Training & Mentorship

• The following firms had the highest percentage of women partners participating in firm mentorship programs: Linklaters; O’Melveny; and Shearman & Sterling.

Congratulations to all of the firms that made it onto the Yale Law Women’s first-ever ranking of the most female-friendly firms. What’s interesting (to me) is the fact that not all of the most female-friendly firms were able to make it onto the YLW’s top 10 ranking of the most family-friendly firms. We wonder why that is…

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

• Bryan Cave
• Fish & Richardson
• Hunton & Williams
• McDermott Will & Emery
• Morgan, Lewis & Bockius
• Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe
• Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman
• Reed Smith
• Vinson & Elkins
• Wilmerhale

In 2018, the following firms were dropped from the list after having made an appearance last year: Cleary Gottlieb; Jenner & Block; King & Spalding; Munger Tolles & Olson; O’Melveny & Myers; Proskauer Rose; and Simpson Thacher & Bartlett.

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

Billable Hours & Compensation:Of the firms reporting the number of billable hours that their attorneys worked in 2017, junior associates on average worked 1,734 billable hours, senior associates on average worked 1,890 billable hours, and partners on average worked 1,615 billable hours. Fifty-six percent of firms required full-time associates to work a minimum number of billable hours to receive a bonus; for those firms, the median minimum was 1,910 hours. Thirty-three percent of firms counted mentoring or time spent serving on committees as partially or fully billable.

Parental & Family Accomodations: Of the firms surveyed, 65% of firms offer paid primary caregiver leave of at least 90 days, 32% of attorneys taking some amount of caregiver leave were men, 40% of firms allowed attorneys to take some number of years off and return, and 46% of firms offered paid caregiver leave for events other than the birth or adoption of a child (e.g., elder care or long-term illness in the family).

Part-Time & Flex-Time: Of the firms surveyed, 5.5% of associates worked on part-time schedules (and of those working part-time, 70% were women), 89% of firms allow attorneys to work on flexible full-time schedules, 4.7% of partners worked on part-time schedules, and 17% of attorneys promoted to partner in 2017 had previously worked or were currently working part-time or flexible full-time schedules when promoted.

The YLW also awarded Category Honors in two of those categories:

Parental & Family Accomodations

• The following firms offered the greatest number of weeks for paid primary caregiver leave: Hogan Lovells; Morrison & Foerster; Orrick; and Winston & Strawn.

Part-Time & Flex-Time

• The following firms had the highest percentage of attorneys promoted to partner in 2017 who have worked part-time or flex-time schedules: Morgan Lewis; Orrick; and Winston & Strawn.

Please click here (PDF) to see the full report from Yale Law Women.

While vast improvements have been made in terms of gender equity and parental accommodations offerings at large law firms, there is still a lot of work to be done. We said this in the past, but it bears repeating in times like these: “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?” Be forces for good at your firms. Women deserve to be treated equally, and allies have never been more important. Offer help where help is needed, and together, we can achieve true greatness.

Congratulations to all of the Biglaw firms that made the inaugural Female-Friendly Firm rankings and the latest edition of the Yale Law Women Family-Friendly Firm and How did your firm do? Email us, text us at (646) 820-8477, or tweet us @atlblog.

The Female and Family Friendly Firms of 2018 [Yale Law Women]

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Staci Zaretsky has been an editor at Above the Law since 2011. She’d love to hear from you, so please feel free to email her with any tips, questions, comments, or critiques. You can follow her on Twitter or connect with her on LinkedIn.