Best Biglaw Firms For Women Who Actually Want To Make Partner
Which Biglaw firms made the list?
Despite all of the heartache and work that go into achieving it, making partner remains the gold standard for most attorneys. And not just some service partner non-equity BS, but actual “real” partnership, of the equity variety. In recognition of the prevalence of that achievement, Law360 has compiled a ranking of the very best law firms for women to become (equity) partners.
Their Glass Ceiling Report surveyed more than 300 firms on gender diversity to make their list, then ranked firms based on the ratio of female equity partners to male equity partners in the United States, and then broke them out into tiers depending on firm size.
In the biggest of Biglaw category, those with 600+ attorneys, the top 5 firms are:
1. Littler
2. Faegre
3. Jackson Lewis
4. WilmerHale
5. Ropes & Gray
For Biglaw firms with slightly smaller headcount, 300-599 attorneys, the best for women partners are:
1. Fragomen, Del Rey
2. Kutak Rock
3. Holland & Hart
4. Carlton Fields
5. Marshall Dennehey
You can check out Law360 for rankings of smaller law firms.
Strategies for ensuring women have a good shot at making partner differ from firm to firm, and include formal mentorship programs, increased flexibility on hours requirements for new moms, and increasing the visibility of women in leadership roles at the firm. The measures have been met with success, but there is still a difficult road ahead.
Of those on the Biglaw list, Fragomen has the highest percentage of female equity partners, at 40.7 percent. The rest of the ranked firms fail to break 30 percent female equity partners — and these are the best of the best. It’s clear that while these firms should be applauded for their efforts to increase gender diversity, there is still much to be done.