NASHVILLE, Tenn. July 16, 2019 – Working Mother released its 12th “Best Law Firms for Women” list on July 16, recognizing firms that utilize best practices in recruiting, retaining, promoting and developing women attorneys. Bass, Berry & Sims was among the 60 firms that were recognized on this year’s list. For the third year, Working Mother collaborated with the ABA Journal as a knowledge partner.
Bass, Berry & Sims recently launched a new forum, the Working Parents Initiative, that was created to serve as a community for working parents of school-aged children within the firm, centered around the shared experience of caregiving. Inclusive of working parents of all genders within the firm, the Working Parents Initiative generates innovative solutions to challenges faced by working parents, with the goal of making Bass, Berry & Sims among the most supportive law firms for working parents nationwide. The Working Parents Initiative, along with the firm’s Women’s Initiative, supports the firm’s goal of cultivating an environment for the personal and professional development of our attorneys.
The firm received high marks for the mentoring program launched by our Women’s Initiative group. The program is open to all women attorneys with goals that include education of the structure of the firm, guiding client strategies, supporting leadership positions, and sharing experiences on professional and personal demands.
“It’s heartening to see the progress women lawyers are making at firms committed to fully utilizing these attorneys’ abilities,” said Meredith Bodgas, editor-in-chief of Working Mother. “The war for talent is increasing incentives for law firms to invest in retaining women lawyers, which is why we’re seeing more women’s initiatives and parental-support groups. By highlighting what our top firms are doing, we hope others in the legal community will follow.”
The full list, available here, highlights law firms that averaged 37 percent women among new equity partners, compared with only 27 percent five years ago. These firms additionally offer more extended parental-leave benefits, encourage more lawyers to work remotely and use flexible hours.
The 2019 Working Mother Best Law Firms for Women application, administered by the Working Mother Research Institute, 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.
About Working Mother Media
Working Mother Media (WMM), a division of Bonnier Corporation, publishes Working Mother magazine and its companion website, workingmother.com. WMM’s mission is to serve as a champion of culture change, and Working Mother magazine is the only national magazine for career-committed mothers.
About Bass, Berry & Sims PLC
With more than 280 attorneys representing numerous publicly traded companies, nonprofits and Fortune 500 businesses, Bass, Berry & Sims has been involved in some of the largest and most significant litigation matters, investigations and business transactions in the country. For more information, visit bassberry.com.