(June 22, 2021) – Littler, the world’s largest employment and labor law practice representing management, has been named one of the “Best Law Firms for Women” for the 12th time by Seramount (formerly Working Mother Media). Littler is one of 50 firms recognized for utilizing best practices in the recruitment, retention, promotion and development of women lawyers.
“It is truly an honor for Littler to once again be recognized as a top law firm for women,” said Erin Webber, Littler’s managing director and president. “The advancement of women and nonbinary attorneys remains a top priority at the firm. Recent studies have shown that the pandemic has negatively affected women in a disproportionate manner. This is a distressing statistic and reinforces Littler’s commitment to continuing to offer a supportive working culture that not only attracts exceptional female talent but provides an environment for women attorneys to thrive and succeed both professionally and personally.”
Through intentional and meaningful programs and initiatives, the firm supports the advancement of attorneys who identify as female and/or nonbinary. These include the Women's Leadership Initiative (WLI), co-chaired by Shareholders Margaret Parnell Hogan and Jennifer Youpa, which focuses on developing and retaining women leaders. Presently, 36% of attorneys serving in leadership positions within the firm are women, including representation on its Board of Directors and Management Committee. Furthermore, the top two leadership positions at Littler are held by women attorneys – Shareholder Kate Mrkonich Wilson serves as the firm’s board of directors’ chair and Shareholder Erin Webber began an eight-year term as Littler’s president and managing director in January.
Littler’s award-winning Career Advocacy Program (CAP) has been instrumental in advancing women and diverse attorneys from the associate to shareholder level. The program matches diverse associate Protégés with shareholder Advocates and client Champions who encourage and foster their career growth. Of the firm’s 2021 class of elevated shareholders, over a quarter participated in CAP and 55% of the class identify as women.
Over the past 15 months as Littler remained in a remote work environment, the firm introduced and expanded benefits and offerings to address the challenges of work-life balance created by the COVID-19 pandemic. A few examples include Bright Horizons, a referral resource to help with childcare; Outschool, which offers virtual learning and recreational options for children; and a Parenting Resources app that serves as a centralized location for all information related to parenting at the firm with a comprehensive list of resources.
Additionally, as a part of Littler’s commitment to supporting attorneys who are also parents and caregivers, the firm formed the Parenting at Littler Resource Group (PALs) in 2020. The firm offers a comprehensive set of programs to address the needs and everyday issues of working parents while continuing to foster a positive culture around working families. Resources offered include one-on-one coaching, facilitated discussion groups, a mentoring program pairing new attorney parents with a parent mentor at Littler and additional childcare and education support benefits.
“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.”
In addition to the Seramount recognition, the firm continues to be ranked as a top firm for women by organizations such as The American Lawyer, Law360, The National Law Journal and Vault. During the past year, Littler also earned Mansfield Certification Plus status from Diversity Lab, received Gold Standard Certification from the Women in Law Empowerment Forum, and was recognized in the 2021 Yale Law Women Top Firms Report for its diverse leadership and part-time work options.
About Littler
With more than 1,600 labor and employment attorneys in offices around the world, Littler provides workplace solutions that are local, everywhere. Our diverse global team and proprietary technology foster a culture that celebrates original thinking, delivering groundbreaking innovation that prepares employers for what’s happening today, and what’s likely to happen tomorrow.