Best Locations for Women Attorneys

"Location. Location. Location." This hackneyed phrase is not just a literary mainstay for the real estate industry anymore. Recent findings suggest location may be a key factor in women's success as legal professionals, too.

New research by the Minority Corporate Counsel Association (MCCA®) indicates that cities hosting a critical mass of Fortune 1000 corporate headquarters and major law firms also feature higher numbers of women partners and associates. Moreover, these women often report better compensation packages, training programs, and more satisfying assignments.

To get these findings, MCCA performed an exhaustive review of available data on women attorneys by location; publications assessed include the 2004-2005 NALP Directory of Legal Employers (NDLE),¹ the 2005 Vault/MCCA Guide to Law Firm Diversity Programs,² and the American Lawyer Media's Midlevel Associates Survey.³ This data was overlaid with the locations of Fortune 1000 headquarters⁴ and, where available, the impact of regional bar association activities; for example, San Francisco's No Glass Ceiling Initiative. It must be noted that much of the data used in this review was based largely on the experiences of Caucasian women attorneys. While diversity efforts have resulted in higher levels of inclusion and acceptance of women in general, the industry has not done as well with embracing minority women attorneys.

At any rate, the myriad factors assessed resulted in a list of cities MCCA deems to be the best in the nation today for women attorneys. The list includes San Diego, San Francisco, and Los Angeles, California; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Chicago, Illinois; Detroit, Michigan; and Denver, Colorado. These cities distinguished themselves in the number of women attorneys hired and promoted and/or for the prestige that firms in these cities garnered among their associates.

California

The Golden State has long been celebrated as a bastion of progressive diversity efforts. It is by far the most populous state in the nation and moreover, with no majority ethnic group, it is third among minority-majority states. California is responsible for 14 percent of the United States' gross domestic product, and its $1.5 trillion gross state product makes it richer than every other state and most countries in the world. With over 110 Fortune 1000 company headquarters and four law schools consistently ranked among the top 20, California has that rare combination of business (demand) and critical mass (supply) to aid it in addressing diversity issues pertinent to women.

As far back as 1999, San Francisco—joined in 2000 by sister city Los Angeles—has shown higher numbers of women attorneys at all levels, according to the National Association of Legal Professionals (NALP).⁵ Law firms in these two cities, along with San Diego, consistently report some of the highest percentages of women partners (over 19 percent), associates (as high as 52.5 percent),⁶ and, in the case of San Francisco, summer associates (56.06 percent).⁷

Of the 152 elite firms participating in the 2005 Vault/MCCA Guide to Law Firm Diversity Programs, 19 were based in California, with 15—or nearly 80 percent—located in Los Angeles and San Francisco. These firms boasted impressive numbers of women attorneys and leaders. Eight offices outdistanced the national average of women partners (16 percent), with one California firm, Gray Cary Ware & Freidenrich, displaying the highest percentage of women partners (28.6 percent) of any firm in the 2005 Vault/MCCA Guide. Seven firmwide executive committees had over 20 percent women members, and one San Francisco-based firm, Pillsbury Winthrop, reported a whopping 24 women heading practice groups—more than any other responding firm.⁸

In a 2004 survey of midlevel associates, attorneys in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and San Diego rated their firms highly for compensation, training and guidance, firm attitude toward pro bono efforts, and satisfaction of the work assigned them.⁹

For the success of women attorneys, abundant legal opportunities, and job satisfaction, California's Los Angeles, San Francisco, and San Diego top MCCA's list of best cities for women.

Philadelphia

In 1681, William Penn, a Quaker, a proponent of democratic freedoms, and the founder of Pennsylvania, named his new city "Philadelphia," a Greek word meaning "brotherly love;" today, the city shares an equal appreciation for women, especially in law. In 2004, women attorneys in Philadelphia-based firms comprised over 51 percent of summer classes and approximately 44.4 percent of all associates,¹⁰ while 50 percent of its firms reported having 19 percent or more women partners.¹¹

While Philadelphia accounted for only seven of the firms participating in the 2005 Vault/MCCA Guide, all except one of these firms had over 35 percent women associates; the one remaining had 33 percent—still a far cry above similar cities. Women comprised 16 percent of partners at all but three Philadelphia firms, and every firm that provided data had at least one woman heading a firm office.¹²

Eight of Philadelphia's law firms appear on The American Lawyer's Midlevel Associates Survey, which examined, for example, the interest level of associates' work, relations with partners, management openness about firm strategies and partnership chances, and the respondents' inclination to stay at their firms for at least two more years. On a scale of one to five, with five being the highest, midlevel associates gave Philadelphia firms a complimentary average of 3.86 and 3.88, respectively, for their firms' attitude on pro bono work and satisfaction with their work.¹³

Combine this level of satisfaction with the fact that 57 Fortune 1000 companies and five Am Law 100 law firms, each with multimillion dollar profits, call Philly home, and it is easy to see why "The place that loves you back" made the MCCA list.

Chicago

With its unique blend of cosmopolitan urbanity atop some of the world's most productive farmland, the Windy City has long been known as a financial, industrial, and transportation mecca, as well as for its diversity, bringing it to the center of the search for women-friendly cities. One of the world's premier cities, Chicago claims over 60 Fortune 1000 corporate headquarters¹⁴ and is ranked as one of 10 "Alpha" (most influential) cities in the world by the Globalization and World Cities Study Group & Network (GaWC).¹⁵ It is home to five of the most profitable and well-known law firms in the nation, including Baker & McKenzie, ranked number two among Am Law 100 firms for its $1.2 billion in profits in 2004; Kirkland & Ellis LLP (number nine); McDermott, Will & Emery (number 13); Winston & Strawn LLP (number 29); Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal LLP (number 48); and Jenner & Block LLP (number 74).¹⁶

Beyond the dollar, however, Chicagoan firms also display extraordinary progress in women legal leadership. The female partnership ranks of McDermott, Sonnenschein, Kirkland & Ellis, and Winston & Strawn, for example, number 26.7 percent, 24.3 percent, 19.3 percent, and 18.3 percent, respectively—numbers competitive with NALP's reported 17.29 percent national average and 18.8 percent average for Chicago law firms.¹⁷

These numbers further track with the 2005 Vault/MCCA Guide findings in which, of the 17 participating Chicago firms, five reported a partnership over 20 percent female. Four boasted over 10 percent participation of women on their executive committees, while nearly all firms tracking such data had multiple female heads of practice groups.¹⁸

Perhaps even more impressive, however, is that while these numbers place Chicago firmly ahead of many of its regional contemporaries, the Chicago Bar Association's Alliance for Women is not settling for these achievements. In January 2005, the Alliance announced a Call to Action to enhance leadership opportunities for women attorneys from the committee level through partnership by 2007, and specific quotas and goals have been set, against which progress will be measured (see sidebar in this article for details).With this level of initiative on behalf of women legal professionals, Chicago ranks high on MCCA's list of recommended locations.

Detroit and Denver

Detroit and Denver are perhaps the least expected additions to the list. Despite Detroit's former glory as the center of a tri-county industrial zone called the Rust Belt, and Denver's awe-inspiring skyline view of the Rockies, neither city is indelibly associated with the legal industry as a mecca for lawyers.

It may come as a surprise, then, that since 2000 Denver has led the pack in having one of the highest proportion of offices in which women comprise record numbers of associates and partners: Nearly 55 percent of its offices reported 50 percent or more women associates, and 50 percent had 19 percent or more women partners.¹⁹

Denver has a modest 18 Fortune 1000 corporate head quarters,²⁰ and in 2004 only one firm in the region, Holland & Hart, ranked among the Am Law 200.²¹ But while quantity is comparatively low, quality is not. Holland & Hart, for example, began focusing on the recruitment and retention of women in the early '70s—a full decade before most firms—and in 2003, former Director of Diversity Susani Dixon stated that the firm's success in recruiting associates to the area and training them had made it a prime candidate for "cherry-picking."²² In 2004, Holland & Hart ranked high among The American Lawyer's "Best Places to Work."

Similarly, in 2004, nearly two-fifths of Detroit law offices had 50 percent or more women associates, while one-half had at least 19 percent women partners.²³ Three Detroit-based firms—Honigman Miller Schwartz and Chon LLP, Dykema Gossett PLLC, and Miller, Canfield Paddock and Stone PLC—rank among the Am Law 200. It must be noted that Dykema Gossett had, at 52.54 percent, the highest percentage of women associates of any firm participating in the 2005 Vault/MCCA Guide. Women also comprised nearly 30 percent of its executive committee.²⁴ Like Denver's, then, Detroit firms distinguish themselves with their noteworthy advances in the areas of recruitment and retention.

Beyond its law firms, Detroit's strategic placement on a strait along the Great Lakes waterway, at the crossroads of six major interstate highways, and as a gateway between the United States and Canada, mean major corporate business.²⁵ Thirty-six Fortune 1000 companies base their operations in the state of Michigan. These corporations include Domino's Pizza, which is led by General Counsel Elisa Garcia, one of only 13 people of color holding the position of general counsel in the Fortune 1000.²⁶

From the Pacific to the Rockies, the Great Lakes to the birthplace of U.S. independence and democracy, these cities represent MCCA's top picks for women legal professionals today. To learn about what regional bar associations in Chicago and San Francisco are doing to further enhance opportunities for women in the industry, read the sidebars in this article.

Alea J. Mitchell is a freelance writer based in Brooklyn, N.Y.

NOTES

1. The National Association for Legal Professionals Research & Directories at http://www.nalp.org/.
2. Vault/MCCA Guide to Law Firm Diversity Programs: 2005 Ed.
3. The American Lawyer conducts an annual Midlevel Associates Survey of firms nationwide. In 2004, it received responses from 4,334 associates. The survey examined 12 areas that contribute to job satisfaction: relations with partners and other associates, the interest and satisfaction level of the associates' work, training and guidance, emphasis on billables, management openness about firm strategies and partnership chances, attitude toward pro bono work, compensation and benefits, and the respondents' inclination to stay at their firm for at least two more years. Associates graded their firms in these areas on a scale from one to five, with five being the highest score. See "The Local Picture," The American Lawyer (Oct. 2004) at http://www.law.com/jsp/law/lawChartASurvey.jsp?id=1095434487694 and "The Best Places to Work," The American Lawyer (Oct. 2004) at http://www.law.com/servlet/ContentServer?….
4. See "2005 Fortune 1000: How the States Stack Up—State Map," Fortune Magazine (April 18, 2005) at http://www.fortune.com/fortune/fortune500/movie.html.
5. Diversity & Demographic bulletins and press releases relating to women and minorities at http://www.nalp.org/content/index.php?pid=143.
6. See "Women and Attorneys of Color at Law Firms—2004," NALP Bulletin (Feb. 2005), p. 3 at http://www.nalp.org/content/index.php?pid=253.
7. See "Women and Attorneys of Color Continue to Make Only Small Gains at Large Law Firms," NALP Press Release (Nov. 5, 2004) at http://www.nalp.org/press/details.php?id=53.
8. 2005 Guide, Vault/MCCA.
9. See "The Local Picture," The American Lawyer (Oct. 2004), pp. 1-4.
10. See "Women and Attorneys of Color at Law Firms—2004," NALP Press Release (Nov. 5, 2004) p. 3.
11. See "Women and Attorneys of Color at Law Firms—2004," NALP Bulletin (Feb. 2005), p. 3.
12. 2005 Vault/MCCA Guide.
13. See "The Local Picture," The American Lawyer (Oct. 2004), p. 11.
14. See "2005 Fortune 1000: How the States Stack Up—State Map," Fortune (April 18, 2005).
15. See Chicago, Illinois, Wikipedia at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicago, p. 1.
16. See "The Billion-Dollar Club Expands," The American Lawyer (July 2005).
17. See "Women and Attorneys of Color Continue to Make Small Gains at Large Law Firms," NALP Press Release (Nov. 17, 2005) at http://www.nalp.org/press/details.php?id=57.
18. 2005 Vault/MCCA Guide.
19. See "Women and Attorneys of Color at Law Firms—2004," NALP Bulletin (Feb. 2005), p. 3.
20. See "2005 Fortune 1000: How the States Stack Up—State Map," Fortune (April 18, 2005).
21. See "The Am Law 200," The American Lawyer (August 2004) at http://www.law.com/jsp/article.jsp?id=1090180158120.
22. Alea J. Mitchell, "Above the Cut: Law Firms Raise the Bar," Diversity & the Bar® (July/Aug. 2003), pp. 14-15.
23. See "Women and Attorneys of Color at Law Firms—2004," NALP Bulletin, p. 3 and p. 5.
24. 2005 Vault/MCCA Guide.
25. Detroit, Michigan, Wikipedia at .
26. MCCA, "MCCA Annual Survey of Fortune 500 Women General Counsel," Diversity & the Bar® (Sept./Oct. 2005).

Chicago's Call to Action for Women Attorneys

In January 2005, the Chicago Bar Association's Alliance for Women announced a Call to Action appealing to law offices and organizations to join the group in increasing the number of women partners and leadership opportunities in the city. With a target date of December 2007, these specific goals were created:

1. Increase the number of women partners by three percentage points;
2. Have women represented on every firm committee in numbers proportionate to the number of women partners;
3. Increase the number of women practice group leaders;
4. Revisit alternative work schedules to ensure they are equitable; and
5. Improve any disparity in the rates in which men and women are retained, promoted, and laterally recruited.

"The Call to Action," says Jenner & Block Partner E. Lynn Grayson, the 2004-05 co-chair of the Chicago Bar Association Alliance for Women, "is specifically designed to target and to successfully address the disproportionately low percentage of women attorneys in leadership ranks in Chicago law firms."

The gender imbalance found among Chicago firms' leadership is not readily apparent. Chicagoan law offices' average number of women partners, at 18.1 percent, roughly matches the national average of 18.8 percent already. Behind its positive numbers, though, is the fact that only half of surveyed law firms are at or above the celebrated 18.1 percent, masking the low percentage of women legal leaders at firms overall¹—something the Chicago Bar Association's effort, then, seeks to address.

The Call to Action was issued to managing partners of Chicago law firms and to general counsel of Chicago businesses, and lead signatories are posted on the Chicago Bar Associationweb site at www.chicagobar.org/calltoaction. To aid law firms in successfully meeting their goals, the Alliance for Women developed a companion guide, Best Practices for Ensuring Compliance with Commitment. Grayson adds: "It is key that the Call to Action has served as a spring board for other diversity initiatives now underway at the CBA. Equally important, following receipt of the [National Conference of Women's Bar Associations'] National Public Service Award for this project in August, 2005, we have been asked to help other state and local bar associations undertake their own 'Call to Action' using our materials as a guide."

NOTE

1. E. Lynn Grayson, "The Chicago Call to Action for Women Attorneys," Women Lawyers Journal (Winter 2005), pp. 25-26.

San Francisco's No Glass Ceiling Initiative

The Bar Association of San Francisco's (BASF) No Glass Ceiling Initiative, posted in May 2002, committed signatories to having 25 percent women at the partnership level by the end of 2004, retaining male and female attorneys at approximately equal rates by 2004, and having at least one female chairperson or managing partner by the end of 2005.¹

This past July, the BASF announced the initial results of its signatories. Sixty-three percent of responding firms reported having at least 25 percent women partners, compared with only 22 percent two years ago. Sixty-nine percent reported that their management positions were at least 25 percent women, and for corporate legal departments and public entities, 54 percent had achieved a management team of at least 25 percent women.²

BASF's Initiative appeared as both an ambitious diversity effort and model to legal associations nationwide. "Frequently mislabeled a women's issue, this glass ceiling is, in fact, a fundamental business issue that impedes the growth of law firms and legal departments, and severely curtails opportunities for female lawyers to advance within the profession," says Angela Bradstreet, former president of the BASF, in rallying supporters for the Initiative.

Overall, 76 law firms and corporate and government legal departments became signatories to the Initiative, and are monitored and aided by BASF's No Glass Ceiling Task Force.

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NOTES

1. See "66 Firms Commit to No Glass Ceiling for Women," the Bar Association of San Francisco at http://www.sfbar.org/about/noglassceiling/sixtysixnoglass.htm.
2. See "BASF's No Glass Ceiling Initiative Results in Huge Strides for Bay Area Women Attorneys," the Bar Association of San Francisco (July 12, 2005) at http://www.sfbar.org/about/releases/no-glass_ceiling_results.htm.

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From the January/February 2006 issue of Diversity & The Bar^®