Contact: Mark Fefer, Marketing Communications, 206.757.8583 or markfefer@dwt.com
JULY 28, 2015 – In recognition of the firm's high numbers of women in leadership positions, family-friendly policies, and success in retaining and promoting women lawyers, Davis Wright Tremaine LLP has been named one of the country's Best Law Firms for Women. This is the firm's second consecutive year on the list.
The list was compiled by Working Mother magazine and the consulting firm Flex-Time Lawyers, which co-founded the 50 Best Law Firms for Women initiative in 2007.
"The success of our women lawyers is a top priority for us," said Jeff Gray, managing partner of Davis Wright Tremaine. “We are extremely proud that we are a firm where women lawyers can build successful practices, hold important leadership positions, and excel in all of the varied career paths that are available here.”
The Best Lawyers for Women survey ranks firms on a wide variety of metrics. These include female representation in the partnership ranks, availability of flex-time work, and business development opportunities specifically tailored to women.
"This is an ongoing, multi-faceted effort," said Portia Moore, a partner in the firm's Seattle office and head of the firm's Diversity & Inclusion Committee. “We look forward to continuing the vital work of making this profession welcoming to women and making our firm a place where excellent lawyers can find the career options that work best for them.”
Over the past year, the firm significantly revamped its benefits, practices, and policies to promote better work-life balance and greater career satisfaction. These changes included creation of a new Counsel status available to senior associates, expanded opportunities for reduced-hour or part-time arrangements, and adoption of a formal policy allowing for flexible schedules and telecommuting.
Also in the past year, the firm inaugurated a sponsorship program for associates, expanded the empoWer women's business development initiative, and launched a Women's Summit pilot project, which connects associates and counsel with senior women leaders for an off-site summit, among many other activities.
During the past 12 months, women lawyers at DWT received numerous honors and accolades for their outstanding work. These included:
- Being designated Lawyer of the Year in their respective cities and practice areas by Best Lawyers and U.S. News (Laura Handman and Suzanne Toller);
- Being profiled as one of the 20 Most Influential Women in IP by Law360 (Roxanne Elings);
- Being inducted as a Fellow of the Litigation Counsel of America (Jenna Mooney);
- Being named to Savoy magazine's list of 2015's Most Influential Black Lawyers (Portia Moore);
- Being ranked as one of the 10 “Most Highly Regarded Individuals” in franchise law by Who's Who Legal (Rochelle Spandorf);
- Appearing on the list of Top 100 Lawyers in Southern California by Super Lawyers (Kelli Sager).
Half of the lawyers promoted to equity partner at DWT over the past five years have been women.
Davis Wright Tremaine recently received Gold Certification from the Women in Law Empowerment Forum, recognizing the significant number of women in top leadership positions. Gold Certification was awarded to just 44 of the country's largest law firms. This was Davis Wright's fifth consecutive year being gold-certified.
About Davis Wright Tremaine
Davis Wright Tremaine LLP is a national law firm with approximately 500 lawyers representing clients based throughout the United States and around the world. For more information, visit www.dwt.com.