Working Here
Women's Initiative Network
The firm's Women's Initiative Network promotes the successful development of business by women lawyers, and advancement of women lawyers to partners and to members of firm management.
Women and men graduate from law school in roughly equal numbers, and law firms, including Reed Smith, hire new associates in roughly equal numbers of women and men. However, these proportions are much different at the partnership level. Reed Smith significantly outperforms the national (U.S.) average for female partners in law firms (18.74%, NALP 2008). Currently, women comprise more than 20 percent of our partnership. However, we think we can do even better. The Initiative is accomplishing its mission through education, training, mentoring, and networking opportunities.
In particular, the Initiative launched a workshop series focused on women's career advancement. Reed Smith developed this workshop series together with Catalyst, Inc., a leading research and advisory organization that collaborates with businesses to build inclusive environments and expand opportunities for women at work. The workshops are currently offered to women at pivotal career stages - junior-level associates, mid-to senior-level associates, new partners and counsel - and are tailored to the participants' experience levels.
Additionally, the Initiative holds regional networking events to provide our female lawyers with innovative and creative avenues to build business relationships with other female business leaders in their communities. In the past, we have held unique events including an evening of business skills training and poker, a private movie screening in New York, discussions with accomplished and thought-provoking writers, museum tours, seminars and more.
Working Mother magazine & Flex-Time Lawyers LLC (a national attorney and legal employer consulting firm) named Reed Smith as one of the "Best Law Firms for Women" in their inaugural survey. The 2007 survey measured firms in six criteria of work/life balance ranging from compensation and benefits to retention and advancement initiatives.