Retaining & Advancing Women in National Law Firms

50/30/18. These numbers represent a long-standing problem for U.S. law firms. For over 30 years, 50% of law school graduates have been women, yet only 18% of law firm equity partners are women. What’s more, that partnership number has remained relatively fixed for much of that time. In the National Association of Women Lawyers’ first annual survey in 2006, women constituted 15% of equity partners. Despite a recognition of and focus on this issue, law firms have not been able to move the needle. Conventional methods haven’t worked. The profession needs new ideas – creative and innovative ways to retain and advance women in private law firms. Students selected for this course will work together to produce a policy paper analyzing this issue. Research will focus on two major areas: (1) the possible reasons for the low retention rates and partnership percentage; and (2) innovative ideas both inside and outside the legal profession for retaining and advancing women.

The paper will be used to advise participants in the inaugural Women in Law Hackathon.  The Hackathon is a Shark-Tank style pitch competition co-created by Diversity Lab and SLS. 54 high-level partners from top U.S. law firms and nine SLS students will work together (virtually) in teams of seven from January to June 2016 to innovate new means of advancing and retaining women in the legal profession, particularly those in private sector law firms. The teams will then present their ideas in person to a panel of judges at a pitch event at SLS on June 24, 2016.  The top three winning teams will grant the prize money donated by Bloomberg Law (1st place $10,000, 2nd place $7,500, 3rd place $5,000) to their choice of a non-profit organization that is advancing women in the legal profession and beyond.   The winning ideas will be published on Diversity Lab’s and SLS’s websites and distributed to major news publications and top management at U.S. law firms.  Our hope is that some or all of these ideas will be adopted by firms across the U.S.

Students may also elect to participate as a team member in the Hackathon.  Time commitment of team members is approximately 2-3 hours per month (via phone) from January through June 2016, plus the 1.5-day in-person pitch competition June 23-24, 2016 at SLS.  Funding is available to cover domestic travel costs for students to return from summer internships to participate in the competition.

Maximum enrollment: 9. Preference will be given to those students who would like to participate in both the practicum and the Hackathon.

Students will receive 3 credits for this one-quarter “R” class. Elements used in grading: Class participation, qualitative and empirical research, written assignments, and final policy report

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Faculty

Women in Law Hackathon

The Hackathon is an event the law school is putting together with Diversity Lab and BloombergLaw.  The inaugural Women in Law Hackathon is a Shark Tank style pitch competition created by Diversity Lab to generate innovative ideas and solutions that will lead to greater retention and advancement of experienced women in law firms.

We are enlisting 54 high-level partners from law firms across the U.S. and 9 SLS students to work together (virtually) in teams of 7 from January to June 2016 to devise an innovative project or initiative that boosts the advancement and retention of women lawyers. The teams will then present their ideas in person to a panel of judges at the pitch event at Stanford Law School on June 24, 2016.  The top three winning teams will grant the prize money donated by Bloomberg Law (1st place $10,000, 2nd place $7,500, 3rd place $5,000) to their choice of a non-profit organization that is advancing women in the legal profession and beyond.

Tentative Schedule

Group meetings with all teams will be held twice a month via 1-hour webinars or teleconferences in January and February 2016 to share data, trends, and other resources that can be utilized by the teams as they devise their solution to the pitch challenge.  The teams will then meet independently from March through June 2016 to devise their innovative solutions to the pitch challenge. The teams will meet in-person in Palo Alto, California at Stanford Law School June 23-24 to pitch their solutions to the judges.

(1) Hackathon Kickoff (January 2016)
  • Program Overview & Pitch Guidelines
  • Brief Overview of the Challenges & Current Data on Women
    • Current Data on Women in Law Firms – Jim Leipold/Sandra Yamate
    • Flex Time and Other Options – Manar Morales
    • Catalyst – Emily Zuckerman
    • Pay/Billing/Rate Gender Gap – Silvia Hodges Silverstein
    • Trial Lawyers – Stephanie Scharf
    • Center for Talent Innovation – TBD
    • Deloitte Millennial Study – TBD
  • Homework – Check In Discussions w/ Women at the Firm
(2) The Factors That Contribute to Lawyer Success, Engagement and Retention/Attrition (January 2016)
  • Rainmaking Traits – Pat Gillette
  • High Performing Lawyers Research – Caren Stacy
  • AmLaw Mid-Level Survey Analysis – Courtney Carter
  • Lawyer Brains – Dr. Larry Richard
  • Positive Psychology – Paula Davis Laack
  • Happiness Project – TBD
  • Culture Gap, Catalyst – TBD
  • Mindset Research – Courtney Chavez, Center for Women in Law
  • Collaboration – Heidi Garner, Harvard
  • Yale Law School/Harvard Business School Study – TBD
  • MCCA, Harvard Blind Spot Study/Unconscious Bias Data – TBD
  • Daniel Pink, Drive
(3) Clients Affecting Change and Other Motivating Factors – How to Start Movements in Law Firms (February 2016)
  • Clients: Walmart, Microsoft Metrics Bonus, JP Morgan and Morgan Stanley
  • Change Agents/Tipping Points: Ratings/Rankings, Competition, Values, Attrition, Management Push/Pull, Clients’ Business
  • Change Management Expert, Susan Letterman White
(4) Innovative Programs in Law and Beyond (February 2016)
  • Opt In
  • OnRamp Fellowship
  • LCLD Fellows
  • Power to Fly
  • BoardList, DirectWomen, and 30% Club
  • Pink Petro
  • Men as Allies Campaign
  • Rock the Street, Wall Street
  • Ladder Down
  • G100, Next Gen Leadership
  • Pipeline Fellowship
  • Girls in Tech, Raise Awareness Campaign

(5) Team Meetings & Brainstorming Commences (March 2016)
(6) Initial Idea Feedback from Group Advisors (April 2016)
(7) Team Meetings Continue (April – June 2016)

(8) In-Person Hackathon Event (June 23-24, 2016)

Wednesday, June 22, 2016

 6pm Cocktails & Informal Dinner (Optional)

Thursday, June 23, 2016

 9:00-10:00am Agenda Overview & TED Style Introductions by Team
10:00am-12:30pm Team Prep for Pitch to Preliminary Judges/Advisors
11:30am-12:30pm Lunch Served
12:30pm-2:30pm Preliminary Pitches to Preliminary Judges/Advisors (4 Teams)
2:30-2:45pm Break
2:45-4:45pm Preliminary Pitches to Preliminary Judges/Advisors (4 Teams)
4:45-6:15pm Team Meetings – Pitch Refinement
6:30pm Cocktails & Dinner w/ Teams, Judges & Advisors

Friday, June 24, 2016

 8:30-10:00am Team Meetings – Pitch Refinement Continued
10:00-11:00am Final Pitches to Judges (4 teams)
11:00-11:15am Break
11:15am-12:15pm Final Pitches to Judges (4 teams)
12:15-1:00pm Lunch & Bloomberg/Sponsor Presentation (Judge Deliberations)
1:00-1:30pm Announcement of Awards & Next Steps

Participating Firms:

Sidley Orrick White & Case
Akin Gump Neal Gerber Jenner & Block
Weil Gotshal Fish & Richardson Reed Smith
 Morrison Foerster Holland & Hart Akerman
 Goodwin Procter Vinson & Elkins Seyfarth Shaw
 Hogan Lovells Skadden Munger Tolles
 Arnold & Porter Haynes & Boone Holland & Knight
 Farella Little Mendelson Andrews Kurth
 Cooley Miller Canfield Gibson Dunn
 Fried Frank Morgan Lewis Baker Botts
 Kirklan Bass Berry Covington
 Sullivan Cromwell Dentons Perkins Coie
 Sutherland Pillsbury Simpson Thacher
 Troutman Sanders Wilson Sonsini Fasken Martineau DuMoulin
 WilmerHale Husch Blackwell O’Melveny Myers
 DLA Piper Fenwick Winston & Strawn
 FaegreBD Kramer Levin Cleary
 Bank Rome Paul Hastings Finnegan

Pitch Event Judges

  • Tony West, General Counsel, PepsiCo
  • Deborah Gillis, President & CEO, Catalyst
  • Lucy Endel Bassil, Assistant General Counsel, Microsoft
  • Jim Sandman, President, Legal Services Corporation
  • Alexis Diaz, Managing Director, G100 & General Counsel, G100 Companies
  • Deborah Rhode, Stanford Law School, Center on the Legal Profession
  • Miriam Rivera, Venture Capitalist & Former Google VP/Deputy GC
  • David Perla, President, Bloomberg Law
  • Alan Bryan, Senior Associate General Counsel, Legal Operations – Outside Counsel Management, Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.

Team Advisors:

  • Katie Larkin-Wong, President, Ms. JD
  • Sang Lee, CEO, SJL Shannon
  • Ida Abbott, Hastings Women’s Leadership Academy
  • Ellen Ostrow, Leadership Coach
  • Debbie Epstein Henry, Founder, Bliss Lawyers/Law and ReOrder
  • Sandra Yamete, Executive Director, Institute for Diversity & Inclusion in the LegalProfession
  • Karen Hester, Executive Director, Center for Legal Inclusiveness
  • Pat Gillette, Opt-In Founder/Orrick Partner
  • Linda Chanow, Executive Director, Center for Women in Law at the University of Texas
  • Carol Frohlinger, Founder, Negotiating Women
  • Manar Morales, CEO, Diversity & Flexibility Alliance
  • Jennifer Queen, J. Queen Consulting & Former Director of Talent at McKenna Long & Baker Botts
  • Marianne Cooper, Sociologist, Clayman Institute, Stanford University & Lead Researcher, “Lean In”
  • Lisa Horowitz, Principal, Talent Strategy Group
  • Amanda Packel, Deputy Director, Rock Center for Corporate Governance at Stanford University & Co-Director, Stanford Directors’ College
  • Jennifer Waters, Executive Director, National Association for Women Lawyers (NAWL)