Biglaw

The Glass Ceiling Report: A 'Bleak' Picture For Women In The Legal Profession

The future is female, and perhaps Biglaw would be best served with more women-led firms.

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Despite the fact that in the new #MeToo era, women across the country are taking charge and leading movements for gender equality and equal pay, women continue to be underrepresented in private practice, especially when it comes to attaining leadership roles. In fact, in the last year at the average law firm, from associate to equity partner, women’s representation has increased by no more than a percentage point, a statistic that’s rather depressing.

There are now more women in law school than ever before, but men still lead the pack when it comes to private practice, making up about two-thirds of attorneys in this sector of the legal profession with gender-discrimination suits being filed by women at breakneck speeds. What’s more (but really, less) is that within those private practice firms, only 21 percent of equity partners are women, with women making up just 12 percent of those in firms’ highest firm leadership roles.

How can progress for women in the law be made when the odds seem to be against them in private practice? Some law firms are leading the way, and thanks to Law360’s annual Glass Ceiling Report, we now know which ones are the best for women.

Law360 surveyed more than 300 U.S. firms, or vereins with a U.S. component, about the demographics of their lawyer workforce as of December 31, 2017. Firms were then grouped into tiers based on U.S. attorney headcount, and ranked by the percentage of female nonpartners and female partners at the firm. Women make up at least 50 percent of the total attorney workforce at each top-ranked firm in every tier.

In the biggest of Biglaw category, those with 600+ attorneys, the top 5 firms are:

1. Littler
2. Ogletree Deakins
3. Jackson Lewis
4. WilmerHale
5. Baker McKenzie

For Biglaw firms with slightly smaller headcount, 300-599 attorneys, the top 5 are:

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1. Fragomen
2. Quarles & Brady
3. Shook Hardy
4. Davis Wright
5. Ballard Spahr

You can check out Law360 (sub. req.) for rankings of smaller law firms.

How can women in private practice ensure they’ll have a say when it comes to the direction of their firms? According to Law360’s data, having a woman in charge will be of great service to them, now and further down the line in the future:

Having a female leader sets an example for younger associates that they have a future and a path at the firm. In fact, the Glass Ceiling Report found that the 43 firms with women in a leadership role averaged a better representation of female attorneys across the firm.

In fact, the average representation of female attorneys at firms with a woman in a leadership role was 3 percentage points higher than the average of all firms surveyed, and the representation of female equity partners at women­led firms was 5 percentage points higher than the overall average — accomplishments worth celebrating.

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Firms that are paving the way to a more equitable profession should be applauded for their efforts, but there is still much more work to be done. The future is female, and perhaps Biglaw would be best served with more women-led firms.

Law360’s Glass Ceiling Report, By The Numbers [Law360 (sub. req.)]
The Best Law Firms For Female Attorneys [Law360 (sub. req.)]

Staci ZaretskyStaci 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.

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