Perkins Coie Named to Working Mother & Flex-Time Lawyers’ "Best Law Firms For Women List"

SEATTLE (August 12, 2008) – Perkins Coie announced today that it has been named one of the "2008 Best Law Firms for Women" by Working Mother magazine and national consulting firm Flex-Time Lawyers LLC. The firm was recognized for its commitment to the retention and advancement of women.

Working Mother magazine's "Best Law Firms for Women List" recognizes a select group of U.S. law firms that are proactively developing and implementing women-friendly policies, including flex-time, child care, and women-focused mentoring, leadership and networking programs.

“We are extremely proud of the recognition we have received for our efforts to attract and retain women attorneys and professional staff,” said Theresa Cropper, the firm's Director of Diversity and Professional Development. "Perkins Coie understands that careers should be about choices, not trade-offs. We value the working mother and have worked hard to create an environment in which women can succeed professionally without feeling they have lost personally. From our flexible options, affinity groups, and mentoring programs to our efforts to advance women to leadership positions within the firm, we are committed to helping our women attorneys successfully navigate their work and family lives."

Perkins Coie is dedicated to providing an inclusive work environment that provides all employees the opportunity to succeed. For six consecutive years, the firm has been named on FORTUNE magazine's list of "100 Best Companies to Work For" and this year was named one of the "Best Places to Work" by Crain's Chicago Business. The firm also recently received a perfect 100% rank by The Human Rights Campaign Foundation, the educational arm of the nation’s largest advocacy group for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender Americans, in the 2009 Corporate Equality Index and Best Places to Work Survey.

"At Perkins Coie we work hard to create an environment where lawyers can pursue successful careers and also maintain fulfilling personal lives," said Laura Whitaker, chair of the firm's Executive Committee.

Click on the following links to watch video statements made by female attorneys at Perkins Coie: Sue Morgan, Deborah Philips and Heidi Sachs.

Some of Perkins Coie's practices and policies include:

• Establishment of affinity groups for women lawyers;
• Training, marketing, business development and mentoring programs designed to help women advance their careers and sharpen their skills;
• Telecommuting options;
• Reduced hours program that allows attorneys to work part-time while developing professionally and remaining on track for partnership. Under this program, attorneys need to work only 50% for benefits eligibility;
• Leaves of absence for parental, adoption and elder care purposes;
• Lactation rooms are available;
• Subsidized emergency in-home and sick child care for lawyers;
• The firm provides full billable credit for all approved pro bono work, allowing working mothers to meet their billable hour demands while honoring their commitments to community service and time with family;
• Women's Forum: In 2006, the firm established the Women's Forum to attract, retain and promote women in the firm and provide leadership and support on all issues impacting the firm's women attorneys. Led by two senior partners, Mary Rose Hughes and Judy Weiss, the Forum has enjoyed broad participation from women attorneys throughout the firm. The Forum holds retreats for all women attorneys and issues a regular newsletter. It is also creating an intranet site and blog to provide up to date information about opportunities and resources on a continued basis.

“Today nearly half of law school graduates are women. Law firms need to make a fundamental shift in their policies by instituting female and family-friendly benefits as Perkins Coie has done,” said Carol Evans, CEO, Working Mother Media. “We hope that by recognizing Perkins Coie, who has already moved the needle, a paradigm shift will follow.”

Perkins Coie is profiled in the August/September issue of Working Mother and online at www.workingmother.com and www.flextimelawyers.com. On September 15, Working Mother and Flex-Time Lawyers will hold a forum in New York City to report the findings of their national research on the trends and share best practices of work/life balance and women in the legal profession. The forum will be followed by a luncheon at the Mandarin Oriental to honor the firm.

Methodology: The 2008 Best Law Firms for Women application was developed in a partnership between Working Mother and Flex-Time Lawyers LLC. Firms with at least 50 lawyers were eligible to apply. The application included detailed questions about the issues that are most important to the retention and promotion of female lawyers. Perkins Coie was selected based on responses to an application measuring areas such as workforce profile, family-friendly benefits and policies, flexibility, leadership, compensation, advancement, and retention of women.

About Working Mother Media: Founded in 1979, Working Mother magazine reaches 2 million readers and is the only national magazine for career-committed mothers. Its 22-year signature initiative, Working Mother 100 Best Companies, is the most important benchmark for work/life practices in corporate America. Working Mother is published by Working Mother Media, which was founded in 2001. Working Mother Media includes the National Association for Female Executives (NAFE), Diversity Best Practices, the WorkLife Congress, the Multicultural Women's Conference and Town Halls. Working Mother Media's mission is to champion culture change. For more information, please visit www.workingmother.com.

About Flex-Time Lawyers LLC: Flex-Time Lawyers LLC® is a national consulting firm advising lawyers, law firms, bar associations, law schools and corporations on work/life balance, business development, women's initiatives, re-entry of comeback professionals and the retention and promotion of women. It hosts a membership organization with chapters in New York and Philadelphia, offering networking opportunities, support, career guidance, education and information sharing to effect change. Flex-Time Lawyers LLC is a resource to the press and legal community at large on work/life balance and women's issues and also provides recruiting services. It has been covered extensively in the national and legal press, including The New York Times, NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams, National Public Radio, The Boston Globe, The Los Angeles Times, The Philadelphia Inquirer, National Law Journal, New York Law Journal, and numerous others. For more information, please visit www.flextimelawyers.com.