Law Students

NAWL?s 2008 National Survey on Retention and Promotion of Women in Law Firms, Part II

By Peg

Now for the second part of the NAWL survey that I found particularly interesting this year: the finding that "For both male and femail lawyers, moving (laterally moving between firms) is likely to be a better strategy than staying in the lawyer's original firm."  This finding was interesting to me (perhaps more than others) because I have no intention of ever making a lateral move and every intention to make partner at my current firm.  This finding was surprising to me since I was under the impression that law firm management wasn't happy about the ease at which young lawyers move from one firm to another.  I have been told that there is generational strife between baby boomers in law firm management that were brought up to be loyal and Gen X and Y'ers who have no sense of loyalty whatsoever.  The fact that laterals are more likely to make partner seems to fly in the face of that.  Afterall, behaviors that are rewarded are likely to be replicated by others.  The NAWL reports states:

The market for lateral partners impacts promotion to equity partner.  ... Laterals account for roughly two-thirds of women and three-quarters of mthe men who were newly promoted to equity partnership.  A startling 31% of new equity partners are recent laterals, suggesting that they were specifically recruited for or negotiated a move for equity positions.  It also appears that males are recruited more often for equity partnership than females.  Firm structure impacts the extend to which home-grown lawyers or lateral hires are promoted to equity partner.  One-tier firms are almost equally likely to promote women form within or import female talent, while two-tier and mixed-tier firms are much more likley to import equity level women lawyers than to advance their home-grown women lawyers.

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Full post as published by Ms. JD on November 25, 2008 (boomark / email).