Fish & Richardson Named a 2019 "Best Law Firm for Women" by Working Mother

Fish & Richardson has been named one of the 2019 "Best Law Firms for Women" by Working Mother magazine for the second consecutive year. Fish was one of only 60 law firms in the U.S. to earn a spot on this prestigious list.

Fish was selected for its innovative programs and policies to attract, retain, promote and develop women lawyers at the firm. This includes having a flexible culture that does not require "face time" for success, generous reduced hour policies, top-of-the-market parental leave benefits, and strong support for working mothers and parents. Fish also has many programs geared towards advancing women in its workplace including its long-time EMPOWER Women's Initiative and client development LEAD program.

"It is an honor to be selected again as one of Working Mother's Best Law Firms for Women," said Kristine McKinney, Chief Legal Talent & Inclusion Officer at Fish. "We are very proud of the work we've done to build and sustain a diverse and inclusive workforce, and we will continue our ongoing efforts to make our firm a model for the industry."

In 2018, Fish was one of a handful of firms to be named a Mansfield Certified Plus firm for its outstanding efforts to meet the Mansfield Rule requirements, which focus on increasing the representation of women and attorneys of color in leadership positions. Fish was among the first 30 U.S. law firms to adopt the Mansfield Rule in 2017. Fish was also awarded the 2018 Gold Standard Certification by the Women in Law Empowerment Forum, which grants Gold Standard status to a select group of law firms that meet stringent objective criteria that demonstrates a commitment to retaining and advancing women attorneys. The firm's unique Parental Leave Phased Hours Program - which supports primary caregivers as they transition between work and leave - was named one of the 2018 Top 10 Innovations in Diversity by Profiles in Diversity Journal.

"It's heartening to see the progress women lawyers are making at firms committed to fully utilizing these attorneys' abilities," said Meredith Bodgas, editor-in-chief of Working Mother. "The war for talent is increasing incentives for law firms to invest in retaining women lawyers, which is why we're seeing more women's initiatives and parental-support groups. By highlighting what our top firms are doing, we hope others in the legal community will follow."

To compile the rankings, Working Mother collaborated with the ABA Journal to create an application with 300 questions that assessed firms' attorney demographics, schedule flexibility, paid time off and parental leaves, and development and retention of women in 2018.