A lack of mentors has
been cited as another barrier to advancement. That’s
why some firms now evaluate
mentoring as part of their
bonus criteria.
“Part of the impetus for
attracting and retaining women
is to help other women
understand how to get the
job done,” explains Anne
Berkowitch, co-founder
and CEO of SelectMinds, a
professional-services consulting firm in New York City.
Reed Smith Aids
Women’s Career Advancement
The Reed Smith Women’s Career Advancement Initiative offers unique networking
events to the firm’s women clients and friends and to its women lawyers. Because
the firm’s practices are built on the relationships women enjoy with clients and
colleagues in the business community, networking events are a
regular and important part of business development, says Anne M.
Devens, director of Reed Smith’s Women’s Career Advancement
Initiative and a partner in its Falls Church, Va., office. These events
encourage networking with each other and the firm’s clients and
give women the opportunity to hone their business-development
skills, says Devens. Additionally, Reed Smith women lawyers meet
regularly with women in their respective offices. Regular contact
with other women within an office means, “they feel connected, and
they are connected. They have other women lawyers to go to, to discuss
whatever issues are important.” Reed Smith is a global-relationship law
firm acknowledged as a leading adviser to many of the world’s foremost
companies in industries.
The initiative also offers career-development workshops that deliver
support for women lawyers at critical junctures in their careers. “We
often don’t have time to think critically about our career progression
and career plans. The workshops are extremely valuable to the wom-
en who attend. These workshops allow them to think about where
they are, where they want to go and how they want to get there,”
explains Devens. Workshop participants also include three or four
senior women partners who share their insights, Devens explains.
“For the third-year lawyer listening to them, it’s meaningful. The
fact that these senior women have had these same struggles bal-
ancing work and family and other issues, and to see their success,
is very powerful.”
The Women’s Initiative also supports and partners with exter-
nal organizations to expand its network. Members of the Reed
Smith Women’s Initiative are also actively engaged as members
and board members of local and national organizations.
MAKING PROGRESS
Firms that have made the most headway in retaining and promoting diverse
associates have several things in common. For starters, they are managed
by committed partners who are held
accountable for providing equal access to
career-development opportunities.
“The best firms want to reach out to
make associates feel welcomed and valued
and see that they get promoted to recognize their potential,” says Berkowitch. As
a result, “we’re seeing more initiatives to
connect [diverse] attorneys through networking.” The most effective networking, she says,
involves issues such as how to sell, assign projects to staff and handle certain types of cases.
Law firms are also regularly asking associates
for feedback. “They’re creating more-frequent
touch points, not just an annual review, but quar-
Women of Color Law Partners
1. 5
1.48%
1. 2
Total Women of Color
Asian American
Black
Latina
0.9
0.6
0.59%
0.48%
0.3
0.32%
0.0
Source: 2006-2007 NALP Directory of Legal Employers
terly, where associates talk about goals for the year
and check progress. Dedicating resources and paying
attention says the firm cares,” explains Berkowitch,
adding that such initiatives help root out bias, feelings
of alienation and lack of support.
In addition, firms are working with attorneys to create flexible work arrangements—for both a limited and
indefinite amount of time, reports PAR. The organization recommends these additional best practices for
attorney retention:
