Manatt Named a 2009 Best Law Firm For Women By Working Mother Magazine and Flex-Time Lawyers
Third Consecutive Year of National Recognition for Commitment to Work/Life Balance and the Advancement of Women in the Law
LOS ANGELES, CA and NEW YORK, NY – August 12, 2009 – Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP, the national law and consulting firm, has been named a 2009 “Best Law Firm for Women” by Working Mother magazine and Flex-Time Lawyers. Working Mother honored Manatt for “continued attention to work/life and women’s issues and commitment to increased use of flex-time, reduced-hour and other family-friendly policies to ensure the future success of the profession.” This is the firm’s third consecutive year to receive the prestigious designation, having been recognized every year since the list debuted in August 2007.
Manatt and all 50 Best Law Firms for Women, their work/life and women-friendly policies, are highlighted in the August/September issue of Working Mother and online at www.workingmother.com.
“The recession has created a shift in the legal industry and now is the time to push through mutually beneficial, cost-effective reforms that directly benefit work/life balance and allow working moms to succeed both at home and in the courtroom,” said Carol Evans, President, Working Mother Media. “We salute the 2009 Best Law Firms for recognizing that making the legal profession work for women is good business for everyone.”
The Best Law Firms for Women, according to the magazine, “are leading the charge for change.” For example, the 50 honored firms employ more lawyers who work reduced hours (8 percent versus 5 percent nationwide). The firms also employ more female equity partners who share in their firms’ profits (20 percent versus 16 percent nationwide).
Working Mother notes that Manatt’s proportion of female equity partners exceeds even the Best Law Firms average at 23 percent. The firm’s non-equity partner ranks include 25 percent female lawyers – one of the highest percentages in The American Lawyer’s “AmLaw 200,” an annual list of the nation’s largest law firms.
William T. Quicksilver, Manatt’s Chief Executive Officer and Managing Partner, said that the firm “is honored by this recognition from Working Mother and Flex-Time. Understanding and supporting one another’s choices as we maintain an unwavering commitment to excellence and core progressive values is what encourages attorneys at Manatt to engage fully, both professionally and personally. That engagement drives innovative approaches, policies and benefits that support the women, men and families who make the firm not only successful, but also a great place to work.”
“We are proud of our 2009 Best Law Firms for Women because they understand that when the market improves, the war for talent will return and they will be better positioned to recruit and retain the best and brightest,” said Deborah Epstein Henry, Founder and President, Flex-Time Lawyers. “Big salaries and bonuses will no longer be the pivotal means for firms to draw the best talent, and culture and environment will become more important ways for firms to distinguish themselves.”
This year’s Best Law Firms for Women will be honored at a luncheon at the Pierre Hotel in New York, NY, on September 15.
Methodology: The 2009 Best Law Firms for Women application was developed in a partnership between Working Mother and Flex-Time Lawyers. Firms with at least 50 lawyers were eligible to apply and the application included detailed questions about the issues that are most important to the retention and promotion of female lawyers. The 50 honored firms were selected based on their workforce profile, family-friendly benefits and policies, flexibility, leadership, compensation, advancement and retention of women, among other criteria utilizing 2008 data.
About Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP
Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP, provides legal and consulting services to a global client base from offices in Los Angeles, Orange County, Palo Alto, San Francisco, and Sacramento, California; New York City and Albany, New York; and Washington, D.C. Manatt includes Manatt Health Solutions, a healthcare policy and strategic business advisory group, and ManattJones Global Strategies, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary that develops and implements strategies to expand client businesses and facilitate their effective competition in global markets. For more information, visit www.manatt.com, www.manatthealthsolutions.com, and www.manattjones.com.
About Working Mother Media
Celebrating 30 years, Working Mother magazine reaches 2 million readers and is the only national magazine for career-committed mothers while workingmother.com brings to the Web a broad range of insight and solutions served to working mothers every day. Working Mother’s 24-year signature research initiative, Working Mother 100 Best Companies, is the most important benchmark for work/life practices in corporate America. With offices in New York and Washington, D.C., Working Mother Media, a division of Bonnier Corp., includes the National Association for Female Executives, Diversity Best Practices, the WorkLife Congress, and the Multicultural Women’s Conference and Town Halls. Working Mother Media’s mission is to champion cultural change.
About Flex-Time Lawyers LLC
Flex-Time Lawyers LLC® is a national consulting firm advising the legal profession on work/life balance, law firm restructure, and the retention and promotion of women. It hosts a membership organization with chapters in New York and Philadelphia, offering networking opportunities, support, career guidance, education and information sharing to effect change. Flex-Time Lawyers LLC is a resource to the press and legal community at large on work/life balance and women's issues and also provides recruiting services. It has been covered extensively in the national and legal press, including The New York Times, NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams, National Public Radio, National Law Journal, and numerous others. For more information, please visit www.flextimelawyers.com.