New York, NY (July 28, 2015) – Epstein Becker Green (EBG) is proud to announce that it has been named among the “50 Best Law Firms for Women” by Working Mother magazine and Flex-Time Lawyers for 2015. According to Working Mother and Flex-Time Lawyers, those selected have been “recognized for their family friendly policies and career and business development initiatives that are helping to retain women attorneys and advance them into the leadership pipeline.” This year’s award measures firms on such factors as representation, flexibility, leadership, compensation, and advancement of women, as well as development and retention of women.
“Epstein Becker Green takes great pride in its commitment to diversity and inclusion, including the advancement of women lawyers in the workplace,” said Carrie Valiant, Chair of the firm’s Diversity and Professional Development Committee and member of EBG’s Board of Directors. “The firm has for many years fostered a culture of embracing and supporting women leaders at every stage of their career and personal life through its commitment to flexibility programs, EBG Women’s Initiative programming and events, and robust professional and business development opportunities.”
At EBG, women are represented at all leadership levels, including on the firm’s Board of Directors, in senior management, on practice steering committees, and in key working groups. Here are a few facts about EBG:
- 100 percent of attorneys elected to shareholder status in 2014 were women;
- 54 percent of the attorneys hired in 2014 were women;
- Women represent 30 percent of EBG’s combined equity and non-equity partnership and 21 percent of EBG’s equity partnership (which is above the national average of 17.3 percent equity partners in the legal profession, as reported by the National Association of Women Lawyers); and
- 20 percent of the firm’s Board of Directors are women.
Many of the firm’s women attorneys have been at EBG for their entire careers, moving up the ranks from first-year associates to senior leadership. Included are testimonials from several of EBG’s women attorneys:
“During my seven-plus year tenure at EBG, I have made not only interesting and challenging professional transitions as an attorney but also personal transitions by starting my family,” said Amy Lerman, Senior Counsel in the Health Care and Life Science practice. “My EBG colleagues value work/life balance and are respectful of the time that I prioritize to just being “Mommy,” while also providing me with the resources, support, and encouragement that I have needed to develop professionally as an attorney.”
“As an attorney who has been with EBG for almost 15 years, my tenure is just about average amongst both attorneys and staff,” said Susan Gross Sholinsky, Member of the Firm in the Employment, Labor, and Workforce Management practice. “People stay at EBG for a long time because it is such a great place to work—this is particularly the case for parents.”
“Many firms have recognized by now that it’s a good business practice to implement policies and initiatives to help women lawyers balance their professional and personal lives,” said Wendy G. Marcari, Member of the Firm in the Corporate Services and Health Care and Life
Sciences practices. “But simply having these policies and initiatives is not enough to ensure attorneys’ growth, satisfaction, and loyalty to the firm. In my six years at EBG, I have witnessed a firm-wide emphasis on diversity and inclusion, respect for others, and flexibility to allow attorneys to manage their family obligations without being penalized at work.”
“Many wonder how I am able to balance a challenging career with the constant needs of a family,” said Diana Costantino Gomprecht, Member of the Firm in the Litigation and Employment, Labor, and Workforce Management practices. “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. While other firms have recently boasted that they offer family-friendly work environments, EBG embraced such a model years ago”
Jennifer Owens, editorial director of Working Mother Media, says, “The 50 Best Law Firms for Women are setting and pushing forward the standard when it comes to retaining women—and advancing them to the very top, equity partnership. These firms are also committed to creating best practices that support working parents.”
Deborah Epstein Henry, president of Flex-Time Lawyers LLC, adds, “Law firms that focus exclusively on flexible and reduced-hour policies to retain women or solely on getting women in power seats are missing the mark. We see our Best Law Firms for Women that are having the most success to be the ones that understand the value of focusing on both retention and promotion simultaneously. They are cultivating female talent to facilitate that they get the good work, the skills, and the flexibility they may need. Yet they are also investing in women with business development and leadership opportunities to ensure they have a strong presence and voice in the equity partner ranks, the governing committees, and in running the law firm as a business.”
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.
About Flex-Time Lawyers
Flex-Time Lawyers LLC is an international consulting firm founded by Deborah Epstein Henry in the late 1990s, providing advisory, training, and speaking services to employers and professionals on work/life balance, retaining and promoting women, and the future of the legal profession. It provides consulting and speaking services to law firms, corporations, professional service firms, nonprofits, bar associations, and law schools, and at conferences and retreats. Flex-Time Lawyers hosts a membership organization, offering quarterly in-person and webcast events on timely issues with prominent speakers. Membership also provides resources, networking opportunities and education about legal industry norms. For more information, please visit http://www.flextimelawyers.com.
About Working Mother Media
Working Mother Media (WMM), a division of Bonnier Corporation (bonnier.com), publishes Working Mother magazine and its companion website, workingmother.com. The Working Mother Research Institute (workingmother.com/wmri), the National Association for Female Executives (nafe.com), and Diversity Best Practices (diversitybestpractices.com) are also units within WMM. WMM’s mission is to serve as a champion of culture change. Working Mother magazine reaches more than 2 million readers and is the only national magazine for career-committed mothers. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Pinterest.
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