Epstein Becker Green Recognized as a Top 50 Best Law Firm for Women

New York, NY (June 22, 2021) – Epstein Becker Green (“EBG”) is proud to announce that it has been named among the select “50 Best Law Firms for Women” by Seramount (formerly Working Mother Media), earning a place on this respected list for the third time. EBG is recognized for its commitment to creating an environment in which working moms can achieve a work-life balance while also offering ample opportunities to advance their careers and achieve leadership positions.

“EBG has continued to build on its long-time commitment to increasing the number of women and minority attorneys in the firm, increasing women’s representation among the equity partnership and leadership ranks, and supporting women in their professional growth,” said Carrie Valiant, Chair of the firm’s Diversity and Professional Development Committee and Member of the firm’s Board of Directors. “More importantly, we understand that the way to retain women is to focus on promoting women through investing in their careers, including business development training, networking, and making available key client opportunities.”

“We know that women have left the workplace in droves since the onset of COVID-19,” said Subha V. Barry, CEO of Seramount. “But the fact that representation of women equity partners, and women lawyers overall, has increased during this turbulent time just shows how supportive our Best Law Firms for Women are to parents and caregivers. They stepped up and offered increased flexibility and new benefit programs to help this critical talent pool balance both work and homelife.”

At EBG, women are represented at all leadership levels, including on the firm’s Board of Directors, in senior management, in practice steering committee leadership, in office leadership, and in key working groups. The firm’s Women’s Initiative and other training resources, such as the Associate Shadowing Program, provide professional support, mentorship and sponsorship, and coaching to help our women attorneys advance to partner and other firm leadership roles. The firm also regularly provides assistance and guidance to working mothers through virtual programs and events as well as a Back-Up Care Program which offers care services for family members of all ages (from infants through elders, including adults and children with special needs). At EBG, we celebrate and emphasize gender diversity within the firm as part of our Core Values.

Many of the firm’s women attorneys have been with the firm for their entire careers, moving up the ranks from first-year associates to key Members of the Firm and on the Board of Directors. Included are testimonials from several of EBG's women attorneys:

“I have been at EBG for over ten years, and I have been able to work remotely from my home office for eight of those years. I started my family during my employment with EBG and the flexibility in my schedule has allowed me time to spend with my daughter in the evenings. It has also allowed me to participate in my daughter’s school and after-school activities when they arise, while still feeling like I am a valued member of the firm. When I was expecting my second child, I received nothing but positive encouragement and support from the firm’s leadership and my colleagues at the firm. Rather than seeing my maternity leave as a burden or a hindrance to my advancement at the firm, the firm’s leadership has inspired me to be forward-thinking about how the health care landscape will be changing over the next few months and how to position myself accordingly when I return to work. I think this is what makes EBG a truly “family-friendly” firm – not only is the firm’s culture centered around diversity, inclusiveness, and flexibility, but the firm also fosters a culture where attorneys are encouraged to find their own path to a successful and rewarding law firm career based on what works best for them,” said Lesley Yeung, Member of the Firm in the Health Care & Life Sciences practice.

“I was hired by EBG as an associate when my twins were only 8 months old. Prior to taking the position at EBG, I worked for the federal government for 8 years. I was hesitant about making the transition from public service to private practice due to the age of my children and awareness that I was leaving a job that was flexible to working mothers, but discussions with female attorneys while I was interviewing made me feel confident that I could achieve a work-life balance. I am happy to say that my fears were unfounded and my transition as an attorney at EBG has been seamless. The partners at the firm really emphasize a work-life balance and at the same time help attorneys achieve professional growth. I find that the firm is more flexible than my time at the federal government. Coming in late or working from home due to doctor’s appointments, day-care activities, or scheduling conflicts with my husband has never been an issue. The ability to log on from home after hours has provided me the chance to meet client expectations, meet deadlines, and grow professionally while still being present in my family. Additionally, the firm offers an environment that fosters growth for people of color. The work you get is on par with that of your colleagues who are not diverse,” said Cassandra Labbees, Member of the Firm in the Employment, Labor & Workforce Management practice.

“When I started talking to folks at EBG about coming in as a lateral partner, and during that process, I was very (pleasantly) surprised to learn about the high number of women attorneys at the Firm, especially at the board and practice group leadership levels. As I completed several years as an equity shareholder of the Firm, I am happy to report that I know I made the right decision to come to EBG. Not only does the Firm have an excellent reputation, the Firm genuinely cares about enhancing and nurturing that reputation by bringing in and keeping talented lawyers, whether male, female or diverse. The Firm is flexible and willing to work with its women attorneys and their work schedules so that our women attorneys don’t feel like they are being “punished” for seeking a part-time schedule. At EBG, the leadership recognized many years ago that by being flexible, women attorneys can contribute tremendously to the firm on many levels and I see the result of that decision today in the many talented women lawyers in the various practice groups (many of whom have helped me with expanding the breadth and depth of my practice and client base), as well as in the firm’s top originators and in the firm’s leadership. As a full-time working mother of twins, I have personally experienced and now see at EBG how, by working together on alternate work schedules, there is a “win-win” for both the firm and its women lawyers. From the firm’s perspective, the investment in the attorney is protected by keeping the attorney happy and engendering loyalty. From the attorney’s perspective, she is able to balance work and home life commitments while having the opportunity to grow professionally both within and outside the firm,” said Anjana Patel, Member of the Firm in the Health Care & Life Sciences practice.

“I have been at EBG for my entire career and the experience has been incredibly rewarding in so many ways. Many wonder how I am able to balance a challenging career with the constant needs of a family. The simple answer is that EBG has always respected and valued a work-life balance that gives individuals the freedom to be successful in many aspects of life,” said Diana Costantino Gomprecht, Member the Firm in the Litigation & Business Disputes and Employment, Labor & Workforce Management practices.

About the Methodology

Seramount’s 2021 Best Law Firms for Women application includes more than 300 questions about attorney demographics at different levels, schedule flexibility, paid time off and parental leaves, and development and retention of women. This year, in light of COVID-19, several questions were added about the success of working from home for lawyers.

EBG provided Seramountwith information on the firm’s female representation, partnership, flexibility, networking, compensation, mentoring, advancement, Women's Initiative, workplace culture, benefits, family leave, and childcare policies.

About Epstein Becker Green

Epstein Becker & Green, P.C., is a national law firm with a primary focus on health care and life sciences; employment, labor, and workforce management; and litigation and business disputes. Founded in 1973 as an industry-focused firm, Epstein Becker Green has decades of experience serving clients in health care, financial services, retail, hospitality, and technology, among other industries; representing entities from startups to Fortune 100 companies. Operating in offices throughout the U.S. and supporting clients in the U.S. and abroad, the firm’s attorneys are committed to uncompromising client service and legal excellence. For more information, visit www.ebglaw.com.