Carrie Valiant, Member of the Firm in the Health Care & Life Sciences practice, and Chair, Diversity & Professional Development Committee, was featured in Law360 discussing Epstein Becker Green’s diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts in the article, “Share of Women Among Partner Promos Continues Growing,” by Adrian Cruz. (Read the full version – subscription required.)
Following is an excerpt:
Nearly 80 law firms have been recognized for having 2023 partnership promotion classes that consist of at least 50% women, with a new report Friday highlighting those shops that have had a continued growth in the number of promotions for women attorneys overall.
In its annual New Partner Report, the think tank Diversity & Flexibility Alliance analyzes public press releases issued in the past 12 months by 196 of the largest and top-grossing law firms, the alliance recognized 78 firms for having their new partner classes comprise at least 50% women.
Since it started compiling partner promotion data in 2012, the alliance said the annual percentage of women being named partners has gone up from 33% to 43.7% this year. The number for 2023 is a 3.5% increase from 2022, which showed 40.2% of surveyed firms to have promoted at least 50% of women to partner. …
A number of firms were highlighted for their inclusion in multiple editions of the report, with Davis Wright Tremaine LLP and Arnold & Porter leading the pack, having been recognized for five years. Epstein Becker Green, Jackson Lewis PC, Miller & Chevalier Chtd., Crowell & Moring LLP and Littler Mendelson PC have been recognized in four editions.
"We have always been a firm in which opportunities to excel and achieve have been available for every individual," Epstein Becker diversity chair Carrie Valiant told Law360 Pulse on Friday. "We have a long history of women advancing to partnership, as well as into office, practice and firm leadership positions. Promoting more women into partnership means that our historical trend can continue, and that our pool for such positions continues to expand along with the opportunities."
Many of the firms recognized, including Epstein Becker, fall under the mid-size category, which Valiant said could possibly be because smaller firms can be more intentional about who they hire, and because it's easier for mid-sized firms to focus on individual support and growth compared to their BigLaw counterparts.
"Supporting the personal and professional development of our people in all aspects of their lives has made us attractive to men and women from a variety of backgrounds and perspectives," she said. "That has helped us to attract and retain people here who want to succeed, who can succeed, and who we can help succeed. That approach may be easier with our size and outlook than it is for some others, and it may also be because we are able to focus on individual support and professional growth with some greater level of intentionality."
