This article originally appeared in the Chicago Tribune on September 13, 2006.
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2006
Counsel critical in retaining lawyers
Partners labor to prevent female attorney brain drain
By Tara Swords
Special to the Tribune
It’s a legal mystery: No one knows why women, who enter law firms in equal numbers as men, disappear from firms’ ranks or fail to be promoted to the level of partner. In fact, women made up fewer than 18 percent of partners in major U.S. law firms in 2005, according to NALP, The Association for Legal Career Professionals. Most women in the field are aware of the problem, although many disagree on the causes. But female partners who already have beaten the odds agree on this: They’d rather talk about a solution. It seems firms are beginning to do their part. In response to a call to action issued by the Chicago Bar Association’s Alliance for Women, in January 2005, nearly 50 Chicago law firms and corporations have pledged to increase the percentage of women partners by 3 percent before Dec. 31, 2007. “People have said, How about 10 percent? How about 20?” says E. Lynn Grayson, a partner at Jenner & Block and co-chair of the Alliance for Women when it issued the call to action. “Three percent will be more than we had when we started. We see the call to action as very much the start of a process.” Help for younger generation Now, some seasoned female attorneys are moving to the next step: preparing young associates to accept the new opportunities that might come their way. The Chicago Bar Association Alliance for Women plans to kick off its Women’s Leadership Institute seminar series Sept. 20; the seminars will educate young female
attorneys in four key areas: communication, networking, selfpromotion and creating positive visibility. Partners are eager to see their experiences benefit the next generation, they say. For some, a sense of history obliges them. “Hopefully now a lot of women coming out of law schools assume they can do anything they want because the trailblazers have already blazed the trail for them,” says Dawn Gonzalez, partner at Litchfield Cavo LLP, Chicago, and past president of the Women’s Bar Association of Illinois. “But we can’t let that trail become buried again.” In law school, professors were paid to teach. But in the working world, new associates have to seek their own teachers — who could be men or women, as long as they’re supportive. “I think it’s critical for anybody, but particularly a woman, to develop a mentor relationship both with a woman who has a life similar to what you want, but also someone in your practice area who can help lead you forward,” says Felicia Gerber Perlman, partner at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP, Chicago. Mentor search can be tricky Finding mentors might be a task easier said than done, however. A study released this month by the American Bar Association Commission on Women in the Profession found that 67 percent of female attorneys of color and 55 percent of white female attorneys wanted more and better mentoring by partners and senior attorneys. Don’t be afraid to approach senior attorneys to get it, says Jane Park, partner at Kirkland & Ellis LLP, Chicago. “As I become more senior, I don’t find it an imposition that younger associates might look at me this way,” Park says.
Mentors can give young associates tremendous insight. But don’t underestimate the value of relationships with people who are going through the same difficulties at the same time, partners say. Liisa Thomas, partner at Winston & Strawn LLP, Chicago, says peers are a source of emotional support in situations that might otherwise feel isolating. Advice kept her going “I had people who could help me strategize about my career,” Thomas says. “If it hadn’t been for people giving me that advice, it would have been difficult to stick with it.” Peer mentoring is one function of professional organizations, such as the National Association of Women Lawyers. “Peer mentoring is what keeps you sane,” says Lisa Scruggs, partner at Jenner & Block. “If you’re less inclined to go to a professional organization, look internally to see if your firm has a group. If they don’t, start one. Say, ‘We’re going to meet on the fifth floor on Tuesdays; bring your lunch.’” Jenner & Block has such a group, called the Women’s Forum, and Grayson is co-chairwoman. Peers can offer understanding that female associates won’t often find in their clients. “The challenge is being a young 23- or 24-year-old woman in a largely male corporate culture,” Park says. “When you deal with clients, sometimes you’re going to be the lone young female voice and face.” Park says she has noticed that the transition from school to work is rough for some attorneys. The associates who have caught her attention are the ones who know the game has changed. “I can see younger attorneys who are more reactive. They wait to be told what to do, they sit back and wait until the phone call comes,” Park
This article originally appeared in the Chicago Tribune on September 13, 2006.
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2006
says. “What really makes a younger attorney stand out in my mind is when he or she calls or sends me an email and says, ‘This is what we need to do next,’ or ‘Here are my thoughts,’ not being embarrassed that maybe they’re not right, but actively, confidently putting it all out there.” Perlman says attorneys who venture outside their own worlds will get noticed. “Get involved in other areas, whether it’s recruiting or pro bono,” Perlman says. “It will allow them to show commitment to the firm in other ways, and that will serve them very well in the long run in helping them to progress.” Showing initiative may help attorneys build credibility that they can cash in later. Scruggs hit the ground running in her early years; by the time she had children, her reputation as a hard worker enabled her to occasionally work from home or leave the office early. “I would say early in your career, it’s really critical in the legal profession to commit to the legal profession — working hard, establishing a reputation for yourself, and buying yourself some room for later in life.” Take advantage of technology Ten years ago, it was much harder for attorneys to work from outside the office. But today, technology makes possible all kinds of flexible work arrangements. Perlman says she owes her work-life balance, in part, to technology that lets her be a better attorney and a
better parent to her two children. “When I’m not at work, people don’t wonder whether I’m getting my work done. They know that I am,” Perlman says. Perlman can log onto her office’s network from home, and when she leaves home, “I have a cell phone and a BlackBerry with me, and it’s easy to be found. “I try to balance my day where I get up with my kids, go in to work and leave in time to come home and hang out with them before they go to bed.” It’s critical that attorneys pick a topical area they find exciting and interesting, says Thomas, an advertising lawyer. “If you pick something you really feel passionate about, you’re much more likely to stay in the profession,” Thomas says. Choose wisely Choosing the right firm is equally important. A good firm recognizes that women are underrepresented at the partner level — and will work with its female attorneys to solve the problem, Park says. “I would actively encourage female recruits to demand more,” Park says. “Keep the pressure from the bottom up. But I would also say let’s not put too much on the shoulders of these poor younger women. Some things will require larger social change, some things will require institutional change. The institutions are working on this, so this is a joint endeavor.” Tara Swords can be reached at tswords@yahoo.com.
Where to find help
Female attorneys can find support and information at the following organizations:
National Association of Women Lawyers: 321 N. Clark St., Chicago, IL 60610, 312-988-6186, www.nawl.org. A volunteer organization dedicated to advancing the interests of women lawyers in the U.S. Chicago Bar Association Alliance for Women: 321 S. Plymouth Ct., Chicago, IL 60604, 312-554-2000, www.chicagobar.org/calltoaction or www.chicagobar.org. A volunteer service committee of the Chicago Bar Association that promotes the advancement of women in the legal profession. American Bar Association Commission on Women in the Profession: 321 N. Clark St., 18th Floor, Chicago, IL 60610, 312-9885715, www.abanet.org/women. A 12-member commission that works to secure equal participation of women in the bar association and legal profession.
Black Women Lawyers’ Association of Greater Chicago Inc.: 321 S. Plymouth Ct., Suite 600, Chicago, IL 60604, 312-5542088, www.bwla.org. A volunteer organization that addresses issues unique to African-American women in law.