The Top 10 Law Firms For Gender Equity & Family-Friendly Policies (2019)

Gender equality in the legal profession has become even more important in the #MeToo era, and through several multimillion-dollar class-action lawsuits that have been filed against some of the Biglaw firms we cover on a daily basis here at Above the Law, 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, some 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 latest ranking of the Top 10 Firms for Gender Equity, piggybacking off its annual list of the Top 10 Family-Friendly Firms. We cover the latter ranking every year (see our posts from 2018, 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 2019? Let’s take a look at the latest rankings.

Here’s the list of the top 10 firms for gender equality according to Yale Law Women:

• Bryan Cave
• Fish & Richardson
• Hogan Lovells
• Littler Mendelson
• McDermott Will & Emery
• Morrison & Foerster
• Perkins Coie
• Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton
• Squire Patton Boggs (U.S.)
• Steptoe & Johnson

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

Firm Structure: Of the firms surveyed, 46.3% of associates were women, 20.4% of equity partners were women, 7.4% had at least 20% of associates who were women of color, and 0% of the firms surveyed had more than 10% partners who were women of color.

Leadership & Promotions: Of the firms surveyed, 29.8% of new equity partners were women, 22.7% of heads of practice groups were women, 20.1% of partners who were heads of offices were women, and 18.7% of managing partners were women.

Training & Mentorship: Of the firms surveyed, 9% count participation in training or mentorship programs as fully billable, 38.9% count participation in training programs as partially billable, and 25.9% count participation in mentorship programs as partially billable, and 41.3% of partners participating in their firm’s committee for diversity and inclusion who 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: Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer; Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton; Drinker Biddle & Reath; Hunton Andrews Kurth; Linklaters; Littler Mendelson; Morrison & Foerster; Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe; Squire Patton Boggs (US); Venable; White & Case; and WilmerHale
• At least 25% of equity partners were women at the following firms: Hogan Lovells (US); Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton; Littler Mendelson P.C.; Morgan, Lewis & Bockius; Morrison & Foerster; Ropes & Gray; and WilmerHale.

Leadership & Promotions

• In 2018, at least 50% of attorneys who were promoted to equity partner were women at the following firms: Blank Rome; Hogan Lovells (US); Morgan, Lewis & Bockius; Morrison & Foerster.
• At least 35% of people on the Executive, Compensation, and Hiring Committees at the following firms were women: Latham & Watkins; McDermott Will & Emery; Perkins Coie; and Steptoe & Johnson.

Training & Mentorship

• The following firms count participation in training & mentorship programs as fully billable: Cahill Gordon & Reindel; Jenner & Block; Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman; and Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz.

Congratulations to all of the firms that made it onto the Yale Law Women’s ranking for gender equity — especially Morrison & Foerster, which is currently involved in a $100 million gender discrimination lawsuit. This is a statement we received when we asked the leaders of the Yale Law Women how this came to pass:

While we cannot comment on the individual performance of any specific firm, this year we aimed to emphasize that all firms have substantial room for improvement, including all firms on the Top Ten lists. Our Introductory Message (pgs. 2-3) and production of new figures showing the distribution of aggregate statistics reflect this approach. This year we also addressed concerns about lack of transparency and “black boxes” by penalizing firms that did not disclose certain data. Our survey aims to capture a broad understanding of the industry, but there are unfortunately limitations in what a survey can measure. The goal of our report is to provide students, attorneys, and law firms otherwise unavailable information to shed light on current practices and trends and advocate for improvement.

Don’t worry, we’re going to chat more about MoFo in just a second. What’s interesting is the fact that not all of the firms with the best gender equity policies were able to make it onto the YLW’s top 10 ranking of the most family-friendly firms.

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

• Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld
• Dechert
• Fish & Richardson
• Goodwin Procter
• Morrison & Foerster
• Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe
• Reed Smith
• Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton
• Steptoe & Johnson
• Vinson & Elkins

In 2019, the following firms were dropped from the list after having made an appearance last year: Bryan Cave; Hunton & Williams; McDermott Will & Emery; Morgan, Lewis & Bockius; Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman; and WilmerHale. Both Orrick and Reed Smith remain mainstays on this list. Perhaps all Biglaw firms ought to check out what they’re doing is doing for their associates, because there’s room for a great deal of improvement when it comes to family-friendly policies at large law firms.

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 2018, junior associates on average worked 1,603 billable hours, senior associates on average worked 1,735 billable hours, and equity partners on average worked 1,515 billable hours. Sixty-three percent of firms required full-time associates to work a minimum number of billable hours to receive a bonus.

Parental & Family Accomodations: Of the firms surveyed, 70% of firms offer paid primary caregiver leave of at least 90 days, 53.5% of attorneys taking some amount of caregiver leave were men (while only 21.6% of attorneys taking primary caregiver leave were men), and 55.6% of firms promoted someone who had taken caregiver leave in the last five years to equity partner in 2018.

Part-Time & Flex-Time: Of the firms surveyed, 4.2% of associates worked on part-time schedules (and of those working part-time, 81.8% were women), 4.7% of partners worked on part-time schedules, 22.2% of attorneys promoted to partner in 2018 had previously worked or were currently working part-time schedules, and 44.44% of firms promoted at least one attorney who worked part-time in the last 5 years to equity partner in 2018 (and 13% promoted more than one).

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

Parental & Family Leave Accomodations

• The following firms offered the greatest number of days for caregiver leave following the birth of a child: McDermott Will & Emery; Morrison & Foerster; Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe; Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati; and Winston & Strawn.
• The following firms had the greatest percentage of associates taking paid primary caregiver leave: Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel; Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati; and Winston & Strawn.
• The following firms had the greatest percentage of men who took any caregiver leave: Blank Rome; Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton; Munger, Tolles & Olson; and Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman.

Part-Time & Flexible Work Schedules

• The following firms had the highest percentage of associates on part-time schedules: Hunton Andrews Kurth; Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton; Littler Mendelson; Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe; and Perkins Coie.
• The following firms had the highest percentage of associates who worked part-time schedules in the last 5 years who were promoted to equity partner in 2018: Blank Rome; Fish & Richardson; Hogan Lovells (US); and Morrison & Foerster.

Here’s MoFo, again, excelling in public-facing, family friendly data points and policies when at the same time women are suing the firm en masse claiming that they’ve been discriminated against during their pregnancies and mommy-tracked for their careers. What on earth is going on behind closed doors at this law firm?

And now, a word on mandatory arbitration agreements. This has become a very hot-button issue in Biglaw, and given that law students are taking to the streets to do away with agreements that seek to strip them of their rights, of course the Yale Law Women delved into the topic. To begin, it’s worth nothing that 13 percent of firms did not disclose their policy regarding mandatory arbitration contracts for junior and senior associates at all, and 20.4 percent of firms did not disclose their policy regarding mandatory arbitration contracts for equity partners. Here are the details:

• 10.6% of firms surveyed require junior and senior associates to sign a mandatory arbitration contract regarding at least some types of disputes as a condition of employment.
• 30.2% of firms surveyed require equity partners to sign a mandatory arbitration contract regarding at least some types of disputes as a condition of employment.
• 4.3% of firms surveyed require summer associates to sign a mandatory arbitration contract regarding at least some types of disputes as a condition of employment.
• 8.5% of firms surveyed require junior and senior associates to sign a mandatory arbitration contract that covers allegations of sexual assault or sexual misconduct as a condition of employment.
• 20.9% of firms surveyed require equity partners to sign a mandatory arbitration contract that covers allegations of sexual assault or sexual misconduct as a condition of employment.

Now you know what you may be up against if you decide to sign on the dotted line with any of the Biglaw firms surveyed for these important rankings.

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 Gender Equity 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.

Top Ten Firms for Gender Equity & Family Friendliness 2019 [Yale Law Women]

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Staci Zaretsky is a senior editor at Above the Law, where she’s worked 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.