For the fifth consecutive year, WilmerHale has been selected by Yale Law Women for inclusion on the prestigious list of the 2012 Top Ten Family Friendly Firms. Yale Law Women surveys top law firms each year about their family friendly and work-life policies and practices to showcase those firms that are committed to the recruitment, retention and advancement of women in the legal industry.

This year, in addition to the Top Ten list, Yale Law Women recognized firms that demonstrated outstanding performance in specific categories of its survey. WilmerHale was acknowledged for gender equity in partner promotions. Women made up 73% of WilmerHale’s newly promoted partners in 2011, compared to only 27% at other law firms. Women also account for 51% of our associate ranks, significantly more than the 43% that was reported by other responding law firms.

In addition to recruiting and advancing women lawyers, the firm is committed to providing lawyers with the support they need to balance their professional obligations with their personal lives. The firm devotes considerable time and resources to enabling its lawyers to lead successful careers while maintaining a satisfactory work-life balance. To achieve this, the firm’s Career Advancement Program offers a flexible career path structure that promotes lawyer development on a more individualized basis.

Carol Clayton, former partner-in-charge of the Washington DC office, commented: "we have created flexible career tracks for lawyers that allow women and men alike to progress on timelines appropriate to their individual situations, without stigma and without the "push off the cliff" consequences of more rigid systems. We are showing our lawyers that we mean it when we tell them to stick with WilmerHale as they balance their working and personal lives."

This philosophy is supported through the efforts of the Women’s Leadership Initiative and the firm’s Work-Life Balance Committee. WilmerHale also offers generous gender-neutral parental leave, flexible work arrangements and subsidized emergency child care, among other family-friendly benefits.

Yale Law Women is a student-run organization at Yale Law School whose mission is to promote the interests and development of women in law school and the legal industry.