Dorsey & Whitney Among ‘Best Law Firms For Women’ For Second Straight Year

MINNEAPOLIS (August 12, 2008) — Global law firm Dorsey & Whitney has, for the second straight year, been selected by Working Mother magazine as one of the nation’s 50 “Best Law Firms For Women.” In its second annual report on law firms, the magazine measured firms on a variety of factors, including workforce profile; family friendly benefits and policies; flexibility; leadership, compensation and advancement of women; and development and retention of women.

Dorsey has implemented multiple programs and policies that enable work/life balance and appeal to working parents. Initiatives that help attract, engage, retain and develop women attorneys include:

• Parental Leave. The Dorsey Parental Leave Policy provides attorneys the option to take up to six months of leave following the birth or adoption of a child.
• Flexible Work Arrangements. Non-traditional work arrangements include reduced-hours work schedules, compressed workweeks and telecommuting.
• Childcare Subsidies. Dorsey subsidizes, in locations where the firm has agreements with a drop-in childcare provider, the cost of 20 days of back-up childcare per child, per year.
• Continuing Legal Education on work-life balance. Recent offerings include a 10-week, facilitator-led discussion group for working parents, and a 10-week program providing expert advice on the stresses and challenges of caring for seniors.

Recognition by Working Mother also is based on women attorneys in leadership roles. Dorsey Managing Partner Marianne Short is one of the few women leading an “AmLaw 100” law firm (the “AmLaw 100” are the top U.S. law firms, measured by gross revenue). In addition to Short, Dorsey’s general counsel position is held by Suzanne Van Dyk, and three female partners sit on the firm’s board of directors. Female partners also head several of the firm’s legal practice groups. Additionally, women partners chair or co-chair the firm-wide recruiting, pro bono and diversity initiatives.

Short said: “Certainly, female attorneys face unique stresses and challenges. But being a mother and building or maintaining a rewarding law career can be compatible aspirations. Quality work and client service are the foundations of a successful legal practice. Finding work/life balance does not compromise quality or client service; it does not mean less work. But it requires a commitment by the individual and the firm to do things differently.

The complete 2008 Best Law Firms for Women list can be found in the August/September issue of Working Mother magazine, on newsstands August 12, and at www.workingmother.com and www.flextimelawyers.com.

Working Mother magazine, the authoritative source for career-committed mothers, and Flex-Time Lawyers LLC, a national consulting firm advising attorneys and legal employers on work-life balance and retaining and promoting women, joined forces to select the “Best Law Firms For Women” list. All firms that participated in the national survey received a scorecard indicating how they stand on work/life and women's issues, providing them with a benchmarking tool to improve the status of women in the future.