Which law firms are tops for flexibility? For culture? Yale Law Women releases 2022 findings
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There is some good news to celebrate, as women and people of color continue to progress in the legal field, according to Yale Law Women’s Top Firms Report for 2022.
The U.S. Supreme Court will no longer made up of a majority of white men after the confirmation of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson. And in law firms, women made up over half of all summer associates for the fourth year in a row in 2021, while women of color made up a quarter of all summer associates.
The challenge now is for the legal industry to retain, develop and promote its new pool of lawyers, the report says. In the typical large firm, women make up only 30% of nonequity partners and 20% of equity partners.
To raise awareness, Yale Law Women is highlighting progress being made with category honors for top law firms. The group wrote its report based on a survey of this year’s Vault Law 100 firms. The participation rate was nearly 40%.
According to a press release and Above the Law, the top firms are:
Top Firms for Advancement
Top firm:
• Jenner & Block
Honorable mention:
• Morgan, Lewis & Bockius
Factors considered include training, mentorship, review policies and how law firms facilitate advancement opportunities for diverse attorneys.
Top Firms for Agency and Flexibility
Top firm:
• Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe
Honorable mentions:
• Ballard Spahr
• Proskauer Rose
• Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton
• Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr
Factors considered include caregiver support policies, including paid leave policies for disability, birth, adoption, foster and family illness leaves. Other factors include policies regarding part-time, flexible and remote work.
Top Firms for Compensation
Top firms:
• Simpson Thacher & Bartlett
• Sullivan & Cromwell
Honorable mentions:
• Munger, Tolles & Olson
• Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe
Factors considered include policies on salaries and bonuses, billable hour requirements, and relative salary levels.
Top Firms for Culture
Top firms:
• Proskauer Rose
• Ropes & Gray
Honorable mentions:
• Jenner & Block
• Munger, Tolles & Olson
Factors include pro bono work policies, health and wellness services, COVID-19 precautions, paid time-off policies, and engagement in the community through donations and statements supporting social justice causes.
Top Firms for Diversity
Top firm:
• Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe
Honorable mentions:
• Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton
• Hogan Lovells
• Morrison & Foerster
• Munger, Tolles & Olson
Factors include attorney diversity, hiring and retention outcomes and initiatives, and diverse representation in firm leadership.
