Kramer Levin’s Women’s Initiative
OUR MISSION Kramer Levin elected its first woman to the partnership in 1975, seven years after the firm opened its doors in 1968, and has remained committed to providing our women attorneys with the opportunity, education and support to develop successful practices and become leaders both inside and outside of the firm. The firm works hard to address issues of importance to our women attorneys, and will continue to offer programs and opportunities that support their development and advancement, some of which are highlighted below.
Read more about our Women's Initiative efforts.
Honors and Recognition Our innovative and supportive efforts have brought us recognition as a leading law firm for women. For example:
- MultiCultural Law Magazine named Kramer Levin a 'Top 100 Law Firm' for Diversity & Women for the fifth consecutive year in 2010.
- Vault Top 100 Law Firms ranked Kramer Levin as one of the 20 Best Law Firms for Women in 2009 and 2008.
- Kramer Levin was selected by Yale Law Women’s 2008 Top Family-Friendly Firms.
- Kramer Levin was named as one of the nation’s "50 Best Law Firms For Women" in 2007 by Working Mother magazine and Flex-Time Lawyers LLC. The firm was one of only 10 New York based law firms on the list.
Our Women’s Initiative Committee Kramer Levin’s Women’s Initiative Committee is comprised of both women and men. The committee meets regularly to address issues of importance to women at the Firm, improve the recruitment, retention, and advancement of women attorneys, and increase the representation of women in leadership positions.
Firm Leadership In the last few years, 20% of Kramer Levin’s new partners have been women, including women who were working part-time schedules. In addition, the following women have leadership positions at the firm:
Policies, Initiatives and Resources that Support our Women Training sessions The firm offers training sessions and CLE programs that are of interest to our women attorneys, many of which focus on skills development, networking, work/life balance, and business development. In certain instances, the firm has partnered with clients and outside organizations, including Deloitte & Touche and the Financial Women’s Association. Some of our programs have included:
- A “BRAG Workshop” conducted by Peggy Klaus focusing on the art of effective self-promotion
- Hosting meetings of Flex-Time Lawyers LLC®, a group that addresses work/life balance and the retention and promotion of women attorneys, including a workshop by the group’s founder on “Work/Life Balance & Business Development in a 24/7 World”
- A lecture by best selling author Deborah Tannen discuss communication differences between men and women
- Speeches by clients and other outside speakers on tips for success, rainmaking, and effectively building a book of business.
Networking & Social Events Kramer Levin hosts periodic internal lunches with women attorneys across departments and senior staff to encourage networking, cross-selling and to foster a sense of community.
External lunches are also organized with prominent women working in the fields of law or business within the New York City area. These lunches provide Kramer Levin's women the opportunity to exchange ideas and share strategies for success. Guests of honor at these lunches have included a United States District Judge, the General Counsel and senior in-house counsel of several prominent companies and foundations, principals of investment companies, and a chief finance officer of a national real estate company.
The firm also hosts an annual women’s event for our attorneys and clients. Our most recent event was a Women's Billiards Night which encouraged women to learn pool etiquette and discuss tips for success. Following last year’s successful Women’s Poker Night event, which was lauded by guests and profiled by a local legal publication as an “Event That Impressed,” (
Read more about our 2007 event) the firm wanted to bring women back to the table – this time to the billiards table. More than 100 prominent female business executives and lawyers gathered to network with other leaders in their fields.
Part-Time/Leave Policies Kramer Levin recognizes the value of providing assistance with the challenges we all face in meeting our work and personal responsibilities. The firm’s generous and flexible child care leave policy and part-time policy provides attorneys (both women and men) with leave in connection with the birth, adoption or foster care placement of a child and thereafter allows attorneys to work a reduced schedule on a long-term basis. Many of our attorneys have utilized these benefits and have built long fulfilling careers at Kramer Levin.
Mentoring All associates in the mentoring program are assigned a partner mentor. The mentor's role is to assist with assimilation and integration into the firm, and may also include providing initial work assignments and tracking the associate's progress and development. The mentor groups participate in a range of social activities throughout the year.
Work/Life Resources The firm provides free off-site back-up emergency childcare through Bright Horizons to all of its employees and has a devoted room for nursing mothers as well as for other personal uses.
Pledged Commitment to the Retention and Promotion of Women Kramer Levin is a signatory to the Association of the Bar of the City of New York’s “Statement of Goals of New York Law Firms and Legal Departments for the Retention and Promotion of Women,” under which we pledge to, among other things, support the full and equal participation of women in all levels of our firm, and the “Statement of Diversity Principles,” expressing our commitment to facilitating diversity in the hiring, retention and promotion of attorneys.
Our Firm supports a number of legal organizations aimed at supporting women, including Flex-Time Layers LLC, the New York State Bar Association's Committee On Women In The Law, the National Association of Women Lawyers and the New York City Bar Association’s Committee on Women in the Profession.