Three Minneapolis Firms made the list: Dorsey & Whitney; Gray Plant Mooty; and Lindquist & Vennum. This is what the judges had to say about each firm:
Dorsey & Whitney
- Efforts to retain talented attorneys start as soon as a new associate comes on board. Last year, this Minneapolis-based firm, which has 13 offices nationwide, initiated a procedure that charges diversity partners, department heads and office heads with monitoring and reviewing female and multicultural associates’ work assignments. The Diversity Advisor program helps women advance by pairing senior female associates with partners from another practice area, who can give a different perspective on the firm.
- When it comes to being family-friendly, this Twin Cities firm knows that formal policies must offer support but that office culture is important, too. Lawyer parents are encouraged to display their children’s artwork, and practice groups hold baby showers for expectant colleagues. (It doesn’t hurt, either, that the firm has one of the lowest billable-hour requirements in the region.) For inspiration, lawyer moms here need only turn to Tamara Hjelle Olsen, its first female managing officer (partner) in 140 years.
- It’s not only up-and coming lawyers who embrace reduced hours at this corporate law firm, which has offices in Minneapolis and Denver. From 2004 to 2008, 28 lawyers worked a reduced-hours schedule as they phased into retirement, signaling that flexibility is a benefit that’s relevant to everyone. The firm’s Millennia Leaders program provides women lawyers with intensive leadership training and the chance to forge new professional relationships. (Last year, female attorneys accounted for 40% of those in management training.
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