Overview
International law firm McDermott Will & Emery has been recognized by Seramount (formerly Working Mother Media) as one of the “Best Law Firms for Women” list published by Working Mother magazine. Seramount produces this annual survey, recognizing law firms that utilize best practices in finding, retaining, promoting and developing women lawyers. This year marks the seventh year that McDermott has been included on the list.
“We are incredibly honored to once again receive this recognition from Working Mother magazine, particularly in light of the significant challenges faced during this tumultuous year,” Jennifer Mikulina, co-chair of McDermott’s Gender Diversity Committee, noted. “Creating a workplace where every member of our team is respected, supported and inspired is critical to every Firm leader – our repeat presence on this list underscores McDermott’s dedication to being #AlwaysBetter on this front.”
“We know that women have left the workplace in droves since the onset of COVID-19,” Subha V. Barry, CEO of Seramount, said. “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 home life.”
Each year, McDermott implements comprehensive policies and programs to recruit, support and promote women lawyers. In 2020, the Firm expanded the scope of its child care benefits so that all could receive reimbursement when using their own caregivers—including friends or family members—in addition to traditional providers like Bright Horizons.
Further, we continue to support a number of professional women’s organizations, including the National Association of Women Lawyers, the Coalition for Women in Law and local women’s bar associations, in order to help foster virtual connections and provide opportunities to freely discuss and develop solutions to the unique challenges faced by women in the legal profession.
The 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. The full list of ranked firms is available here.
About McDermott
McDermott Will & Emery partners with leaders around the world to fuel missions, knock down barriers and shape markets. Our team works seamlessly across practices, industries and more than 20 locations to deliver highly effective—and often unexpected—solutions that propel success. More than 1,200 lawyers strong, we bring our personal passion and legal prowess to bear in every matter for our clients and the people they serve.
