Overview
(May 21, 2020, Washington, DC) — Steptoe has earned a spot on the 2020 Yale Law Women "Top Firms for Gender Equity & Family Friendliness" report. Steptoe was one of only three firms to be recognized on the "Top Firms for Diverse Partnership" list.
This marks the 15th year for the report, which is designed to raise awareness of inequities within the legal profession, highlight progress being made in the industry, and identify areas for improvement. This year, Yale Law Women took a new approach to its report, recognizing the individualized experiences and distinct needs of law firm employees, as well as the multitude of factors leading to workplace equity. Individual firms were honored for excelling in specific categories that relate to overall gender equity and family friendliness.
To create the report, Yale Law Women invited all law firms listed in the 2020 Vault 100 to participate in the survey. Since equitable policies are just one piece of the complex puzzle, the survey aims to capture not only the policies on paper but also their actual use by attorneys at each firm. Yale Law Women also collected input from Yale Law School alumni working at Vault 100 law firms. Using this data, they developed honors based on metrics that indicate a commitment to equity. Alumni were asked about the importance of relevant policies and practices and their overall impressions of equity at their law firms.
Steptoe counts a number of women lawyers among its ranks, including in leadership. The firm's vice chair is a woman, a number of the firm's practice departments and management teams are headed by women, and five of the firm's nine offices are led or co-led by women. Additionally, the firm has a strong record of elevating women to the partnership. Over the past five years, women have comprised an average of 60 percent of the new partner classes.
Steptoe has repeatedly been named to Working Mother magazine's annual list of the "Best Law Firms for Women" as well as the Women in Law Empowerment Forum's (WILEF) Gold Standard Certification list.
To view the full report, click here.
About Steptoe
In more than 100 years of practice, Steptoe has earned an international reputation for vigorous representation of clients before governmental agencies, successful advocacy in litigation and arbitration, and creative and practical advice in structuring business transactions. Steptoe has more than 500 lawyers and other professional staff across offices in Beijing, Brussels, Chicago, Hong Kong, London, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, and Washington. For more information, visit www.steptoe.com.