5 firms with Hoosier ties make ‘60 Best Law Firms for Women’ list

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Five law firms with ties to Indiana have been named among the best for women nationwide.

Working Mother released its annual “60 Best Law Firms for Women” list on July 31, naming Barnes & Thornburg, Faegre Baker Daniels, Littler, Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart and Quarles & Brady among the most female-friendly firms. Working Mother collaborated with ABA Journal to compile the list, reviewing applications that included more than 300 questions about attorney representation, scheduling flexibility, paid time off, parental leave, and female attorney development and retention.

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“At these 60 law firms, almost half of associates and more than a third of partners are women, on average, while one-fifth of equity partners are women,” Working Mother wrote in its announcement of the 2018 list. “These firms also increasingly offer extended parental-leave benefits and encourage more lawyers to work remotely and use flexible hours.”

At Barnes, the results show 15 percent of equity partners and 32 percent of non-equity partners were women in 2017. Working Mother noted the creation of the director of diversity, professional development and inclusion position in 2017, which was filled by Dawn Rosemond, a partner in the firm’s Fort Wayne Office.

At Faegre, women made up 27 percent of both equity and non-equity partners. Working Mother credited the firm for its “open and transparent” Women’s Forum leadership succession plan, giving all lawyers “details about opportunities and the nomination and selection processes.” The firm recently named partner Kathy Osborn to lead the Indianapolis office.

Women comprised 20 percent of all equity partners at Ogletree Deakins and 42 percent of all non-equity partners. Further, 33 percent of the firm’s board of directors is female, and the board itself established a task force in 2017 to “study advancement and recognition of women.”

Nearly half of all non-equity partners at Quarles & Brady — 45 percent — were women, with female attorneys filling 22 percent of equity partner positions. Among the benefits available to Quarles & Brady attorneys is up to 80 hours of back-up and in-home care for both young and old family members who are in the attorneys’ charge.

Littler, which has an Indianapolis office, also made the list. Fifty-two percent of its non-equity partners are women, as are 30 percent of equity partners. The firm reports 65 percent of its new attorneys are women.

The full list of the 60 best law firms is available at https://www.workingmother.com/best-law-firms-for-women-2018.•

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