Culhane Meadows’ Co-Founder and Managing Partner Kelly Culhane and Chief Operating Officer and Finance Director Nicole Joseph recently authored an article about what can be done by firms to provide lasting gender parity for associates.
Here are a few excerpts from Kelly and Nicole’s article:
Background
2023 was a good year for women in the legal industry. Not only were there more women than men among associates, but more partners were women than ever before — almost 27.8% of partners are women. What made this such a good year?
This change has been building for decades. The number of women practicing law has steadily increased over the last 45 years, and that has inevitably influenced the profession.
However, the struggle for total equality is real.
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Solutions
Transparency and Compensation
Everyone agrees that achieving gender equality starts with compensation. We know that women are paid less than their male colleagues — in 2022, female attorneys made, on average, 19% less than male attorneys,[8] and 34% less at the partner level[9] — and that they’re subject to sexist stereotypes that influence how their work is perceived and rewarded. Combating those issues takes transparency.
Because compensation is often decided behind closed doors and by committees that are often predominantly white and male, it leaves women — and many times, attorneys of color — vulnerable to others’ unconscious biases. Firms need to scrutinize the makeup of these committees, as well as whether they are using objective criteria to decide compensation and advancement.
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Working Conditions
Besides compensation, working conditions have a huge effect on women’s professional success and their longevity in practicing.
Corporate influence and pandemic shutdowns have been instrumental in the adoption of remote work. The ability to work remotely has long been sought by women who feel pressured to choose between advancing their career and motherhood.
The COVID-19 pandemic forced traditional law firms’ hand in adopting remote work, and since many corporations were already permitting employees to work at least partially remote, clients were quick to realize the cost savings when their attorneys work from home.
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Intent vs. Reality
Most firms have policies in place to deal with common issues facing women in the workplace — even if only to meet legal requirements. How those policies are implemented, however, determines whether they succeed in creating a better workplace, or are just used as tools to reinforce the status quo.
Maternity policies have been legally required for decades, and many firms offer leave for parents of any gender. But women in the law still fear the “mommy track” label, and new dads are discouraged from taking parental leave because, despite what firm policies and the law states, the firm’s culture hasn’t caught up to modern times. This is another area where in-house legal departments are light-years ahead.
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Conclusion
The best solution to achieve meaningful and lasting gender equality is the will to do the work, the guts to make changes, and the vision to see why it’s important and beneficial.
When you don’t recognize that the system is broken, or the value in fixing it, it’s hard to justify committing the time and resources to the problem.
The good news is that gender inequality is being recognized as a genuine problem in the profession, and firms are seeing that more diversity benefits their bottom line.
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To read the entire article, click HERE
About Culhane Meadows – Big Law for the New Economy®
The largest woman-owned national full-service business law firm in the U.S., Culhane Meadows fields over 70 partners in eleven major markets across the country. Uniquely structured, the firm’s Disruptive Law® business model gives attorneys greater work-life flexibility while delivering outstanding, partner-level legal services to major corporations and emerging companies across industry sectors more efficiently and cost-effectively than conventional law firms. Clients enjoy exceptional and highly-efficient legal services provided exclusively by partner-level attorneys with significant experience and training from large law firms or in-house legal departments of respected corporations. U.S. News & World Report has named Culhane Meadows among the country’s “Best Law Firms” in its 2014 through 2023 rankings and many of the firm’s partners are regularly recognized in Chambers, Super Lawyers, Best Lawyers and Martindale-Hubbell Peer Reviews.
The foregoing content is for informational purposes only and should not be relied upon as legal advice. Federal, state, and local laws can change rapidly and, therefore, this content may become obsolete or outdated. Please consult with an attorney of your choice to ensure you obtain the most current and accurate counsel about your particular situation.
