Davis Polk has long been a leader among major U.S. firms in hiring and
promoting women lawyers and working toward achieving gender equality
in the legal profession. In 1971, Davis Polk became one of the first
Wall Street firms to elect a woman partner. Today, the firm is
among the most gender-diverse firms in the Am Law 100, and our women
lawyers play leadership roles not only in client matters, but also as
the heads of practice groups and committees throughout the firm.
Over the past several decades, Davis Polk has put in place a wide range
of policies and practices designed to recruit, support and advance the
careers of women at the firm. We are more active on this front than ever,
as we constantly look to assess and enhance women’s initiatives
at Davis Polk.
By the Numbers
- 45% of our associates and 20% of our partners are women.
- Since 2000, 30% of our new partners elected have been women.
- 32 lawyers participate in our flextime program, 27 of whom are women.
- Our 32 women partners practice in nearly all of the firm’s
practice areas, including litigation, mergers and acquisitions, capital
markets, credit, insolvency and restructuring, investment management,
tax, executive compensation, environmental and real estate.
- Six women partners serve as practice group leaders.
- More than one-third of the firm’s committees are chaired by
women, including key committees such as those focused on partner and
associate compensation, pro bono and diversity.
How We Rank
- Davis Polk ranked among the top five firms nationally in Vault’s
2008 “Diversity with Respect to Women” ranking.
- Davis Polk ranked 4th among all Am Law 100 firms by percentage of
women lawyers, according to the Minority Law Journal’s 2007 “Diversity
Scorecard.”
- In June 2003, The American Lawyer ranked Davis Polk 1st among the
country’s largest law firms based on the percentage of women
partners at the firm. (This is the most recent such ranking by The
American Lawyer.)
- Davis Polk routinely ranks among the top firms in The
American Lawyer’s
A-List rankings of elite U.S. law firms, which measures firms’ lawyer
diversity, financial performance, pro bono activity and associate satisfaction.
Diversity Committee
Davis Polk’s Diversity Committee is devoted to advancing firmwide
diversity initiatives relating to the recruitment, retention and promotion
of our lawyers. The Committee, consisting of 12 partners from across
our practice, includes all members of the firm’s Management Committee.
The Diversity Committee also evaluates the overall effectiveness of
our various diversity initiatives and focuses on enhancing our performance
in this area. In addition, the firm conducts periodic internal surveys
of lawyers on the workplace environment, including diversity-related
issues. Finally, the firm participates in various external surveys on
diversity policies and statistics, such as those published by NALP, American
Lawyer, Vault and MCCA, in order to benchmark our performance relative
to our peers and the profession in general.
The Committee's Sub-Committee on Women's Initiatives meets regularly
throughout the year and works together with our women's affinity group
and our women's partner group on initiatives designed to promote the
opportunities and concerns of women in the workplace.
DPWomen and DPW Parents
The firm supports a number of affinity groups, for lawyers who share
common interests or backgrounds, designed to enhance our ability to offer
networking and mentoring opportunities. For example, in 2007, Davis Polk
created “DPWomen,” a women’s affinity group for lawyers
across the firm (male and female) to come together and discuss the unique
interests and concerns that women have at the firm and within the legal
profession in general, including such topics as career development, work/life
balance, mentoring and business development. A key focus of the group
is holding town hall meetings and making substantive presentations on
various women’s
issues given by Davis Polk lawyers, as well as hosting external speakers
who are experts in the field.
Other groups include DPW Parents, a group of men and women that meets
monthly for informal networking and presentations by Davis Polk lawyers
and outside experts. Events have included presentations on the preschool admissions process in New York, parent-child communication, financial planning and leveraging technology to improve efficiency while working from home.
Selected Firm Policies and Resources
Parental Leave
The firm has a generous and flexible maternity leave policy, which includes up to 12 weeks of leave available for new mothers, 4 weeks of leave for new fathers and 6 weeks for primary caregivers following the birth, adoption or foster care placement of a child.
A detailed brochure that outlines the firm’s maternity policy
and provides answers to frequently asked questions is available to expectant
lawyers at the firm. In addition, the firm has renovated a
private room that is equipped with comfortable furniture, a refrigerator
and other items useful to nursing mothers. The firm endeavors to be as
supportive as possible of new mothers, providing flexibility as they
transition into their leave and again when they return to work.
Part-Time and Flextime
Davis Polk was also a pioneer among law firms in the adoption of a part-time
and flextime policy for lawyers. This policy is structured to meet the
individual needs of the lawyer and the department in which they work.
At any given time, dozens of lawyers, including partners, are working
on a reduced or flextime schedule.
Childcare
Davis Polk provides and subsidizes access to emergency childcare facilities
in close proximity to our New York and Menlo Park offices. In addition,
the firm offers a broad array of services, including assistance with
finding long-term childcare, through our Employee Assistance Program.
Women’s Client Network
In 2006, the firm established a women’s client initiative designed
to provide professional and social networking opportunities for our women
partners and counsel. A reception at New York City’s Jazz at Lincoln
Center, the first in a series of events as part of this initiative, was
held in early 2007 and included a private performance by four-time Tony
Award-winning actress and singer Audra McDonald. In connection with this
event, the firm created an annual fellowship for a female law student
at inMotion, a not-for-profit organization that provides free legal services
to low-income and abused women.
Leadership Outside of Davis Polk
Our women lawyers are highly active in organizations outside of Davis Polk.
These efforts include leadership and board positions with professional
associations, not-for-profit legal services, including a number of programs
that provide assistance to women and families in need, and a broad range
of educational, civic, cultural and religious institutions.
Current and recent positions and affiliations held by Davis Polk women include:
Bar Associations and Other Professional Organizations
- Chair of the Securities Law Committee of the Legal Practice Division of the International Bar Association
- Chair of the Specialized Investment Funds Subcommittee of the International Bar Association
- Chair of the New York Women's Criminal Defense Lawyers Committee
- Vice-Chair of the International Securities and Capital Markets Committee of the ABA Section of International Law
- Founding member of the Private Investment Fund Forum of New York City
- Member of the Executive Committee of the New York State Bar Association Tax
Section
- Member of the New York City Bar’s Committee on Diversity in the Profession
- Member of the Environmental Committee of the Association of the New York City Bar
- Member of the New York City Bar's Committee on Government Ethics
- Member of the New York City Bar's Committee on Private Investment Funds
- Member of the Board of Directors for the Fund for Modern Courts
- Member of the Board of Trustees of the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights
- Member of the Corporation Law Committee of the New York City Bar Association
Not-for-Profit Legal and Community Services
- Member of the Criminal Justice Act Panel of the Southern District of New
York, which represents indigent criminal defendants when The Legal Aid Society
cannot due to a conflict
- Member of the Board of Directors for MFY Legal Services, a program that works in concert with New York community organizations to provide free civil legal assistance to those in need
- Member of the Board of Legal Advisors of Legal Momentum (formerly NOW Legal Defense and Education Fund), an organization that seeks to advance the rights of women and girls by using the power of the law and creating innovative public policy
- Member of the Board of Directors of JOB (Just One Break), a charitable organization founded by Eleanor Roosevelt, that assists people with disabilities in obtaining employment
- Member of the Board of Directors of New York Lawyers for the Public Interest, a not-for-profit, civil rights law firm that strives for social justice
- Member of the Board of Trustees of the Schuyler Center for Analysis and Advocacy, which works to shape policies that improve the economic security and health status of low- and moderate-income New Yorkers
- Member of the Board of Directors of Advocates for Children, an organization that works in partnership with New York City's most impoverished and vulnerable families to secure quality and equal public education services
- Member and Chair of the Board of Directors of Vehicles, Inc., a not-for-profit corporation in New York City
- Member of the Board of Regional Plan Association, a civic group that is very involved in rebuilding plans for the World Trade Center site and in promoting a green region
- Member of the steering committee of the Legal Fellowship Group at Redeemer
Presbyterian Church
Educational Institutions
- Member of the Bowdoin College President's Visiting Committee
- Member of the Board of Visitors of Columbia Law School
- Member of the Friends of Public Policy at Brown University
- Trustee of Magdalen College, Oxford University
- Trustee of the University of Western Australia
- Trustee and Chair of the NALP Foundation for Law Career Research and Education
- Trustee of the Little Red School House
Support of Women in Our Community
Through our pro bono program and other firm initiatives, Davis Polk
also supports a number
of other external organizations that assist women and families in need.
Examples of such groups include:
- inMotion
- Microcredit Enterprises
- Next Door Solutions to Domestic Violence
- New York Women’s Foundation (NYWF)
- Project L.I.F.E.
- Safe Horizons
- Sanctuary for Families
- Women’s E-News
Notable Davis Polk Alumni
- Miriam Goldman Cedarbaum -- U.S. District Court Judge (New York)
- Ulrika Ekman -- Managing Director and General Counsel, Greenhill & Co.,
Inc.
- Amy St. Eve -- U.S. District Court Judge (Chicago)
- Kirsten Gillibrand -- U.S. House of Representatives (D-New York)
- Bridget Healy -- Executive Vice President and Chief Legal Officer,
ING Insurance Americas
- Jo Backer Laird -- General Counsel, Christie’s International
- Marlane Melican -- General Counsel, Ziff Brothers Investments, L.L.C.
- Sara E. Moss -- Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary,
Estée Lauder
- Annette L. Nazareth -- Commissioner, U.S. Securities and Exchange
Commission
- Katherine A. O’Hara -- Senior Vice President, General Counsel
and Secretary, PerkinElmer, Inc.
- Linda Chatman Thomsen -- Director, Division of Enforcement at the
U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission
