First-of-Its-Kind Initiative Honors Trailblazers in Work-Life Balance and Women
NEW YORK – August 16, 2007 – LAWFUEL – The Legal Newswire – Working Mother magazine, the authoritative source for career mothers, and Flex-Time Lawyers LLC, a national consulting firm advising attorneys and legal employers on work-life balance and the retention and advancement of women, have named Holland & Knight LLP a 2007 Working Mother & Flex-Time Lawyers Best Law Firm for Women. A new initiative from the leading advocates for work-life balance and women-friendly policies, Best Law Firms for Women honors 50 law firms for their commitment to the retention and advancement of female talent.
Profiled in the August/September issue of Working Mother magazine, Holland & Knight is honored for creating a work environment that is hospitable to and encouraging of the advancement of women. With innovative programs and policies that help female attorneys achieve balance in their personal and professional lives and thrive as practitioners, Holland & Knight is ensuring that women are the future of private law practice.
“Since its founding, Working Mother magazine has been the champion of progressive, women-friendly changes in the workplace,” said Carol Evans, CEO, Working Mother Media. “Every year we see substantive advances in companies’ policies across the country, and we are so excited to be able to pair with Flex-Time Lawyers to celebrate change in a field that has historically struggled to support women and their life choices. I commend Holland & Knight for taking the lead for women lawyers.”
“We are delighted to celebrate Holland & Knight for its efforts and successes in retaining and promoting women,” said Deborah Epstein Henry, Founder and President of Flex-Time Lawyers LLC. “We hope its standing on the list of Best Law Firms for Women will further inspire Holland & Knight to use the national benchmarking data now available to it through participation in this initiative to improve the status of women in the profession and raise the bar on what makes a best law firm for women,” added Henry.
“We are honored to be recognized by Working Mother magazine and Flex-Time Lawyers LLC for our commitment to our women lawyers,” said Holland & Knight Managing Partner Howell W. Melton, Jr. “We are proud of our Women’s Initiative and Rising Stars program as well as our Balanced Work Life Plan which is available to all lawyers at our firm. It is important to us that our attorneys have options which allow them the time to combine successful careers with successful parenting.”
Methodology: The application and evaluation process for the 2007 Working Mother & Flex-Time Lawyers Best Law Firms for Women initiative was developed in a partnership by Working Mother magazine and Flex-Time Lawyers LLC and based on Working Mother’s annual 100 Best Companies, a groundbreaking initiative that was first introduced in 1986, that continues to set the standard for family-friendly workplaces. To apply for the Best Law Firms for Women, Holland & Knight provided detailed information on the issues that are most important to the retention and promotion of women lawyers in six measured areas: workforce profile, benefits and compensation, parental leave, childcare, flexibility, and retention and advancement of women.
The complete list of the 2007 Working Mother & Flex-Time Lawyers Best Law Firms for Women can be found in the August/September issue of Working Mother magazine, on newsstands August 14, and at www.workingmother.com and www.flextimelawyers.com.
About Working Mother
Founded in 1979, Working Mother magazine reaches nearly 3 million readers and is the only national magazine for career mothers. Its 21-year signature initiative, Working Mother 100 Best Companies, is the most important benchmark for work/life practices in corporate America. The publication also releases the annual list of the Best Companies for Multicultural Women in the June issue. Working Mother is published by Working Mother Media (WMM), which also owns the National Association for Female Executives (NAFE), NAFE Magazine, the annual 100 Best Companies WorkLife Congress, as well as the Best Companies for Multicultural Women Conference and regional Town Halls. In 2006, WMM acquired Diversity Best Practices and the Business Women’s Network, making Working Mother Media the largest media company in the country focused on diversity and the advancement of women. 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 professionals and the retention and advancement 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.
About Holland & Knight LLP: Holland & Knight is a global law firm with more than 1,150 lawyers in 17 U.S. offices. Other offices around the world are located in Beijing, Tokyo and Mexico City, with representative offices in Caracas, Helsinki and Tel Aviv. Holland & Knight is among the world’s 15 largest firms, providing representation in litigation, business, real estate and governmental law. Our interdisciplinary practice groups and industry-based teams ensure clients have access to attorneys throughout the firm, regardless of location. www.hklaw.com.
