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. Today nearly half of our associates are women, and there are numerous women in the partnership and special counsel ranks. Indeed, the firm recently elected to the partnership three women who were working part-time schedules, one of whom was also on maternity leave when she was promoted. We have worked 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.

Honors/Recognition

• Multicultural Law Magazine has selected Kramer Levin as one of the Top 100 Law Firms for Women in 2006, 2007 and 2008. 
  
• 2007 Kramer Levin was named as one of the nation’s "50 Best Law Firms For Women" By Working Mother magazine and Flex-Time Lawyers LLC. Of special mention was that our firm was one of only 10 New York based law firms on the list.

A number of factors demonstrate the Firm’s support for Women Attorneys 

• Training sessions. On a periodic basis, we offer training sessions and programs that are of interest to our women attorneys, focusing on, among other things, skills development, networking, work/life balance, and business development. For example, the Firm hosted a “BRAG Workshop”, an interactive workshop aimed at improving self-promotion and networking skills. Kramer Levin has also hosted numerous events with Deloitte & Touche LLP focusing on diversity and women’s issues, including a co-sponsored event with the Financial Women’s Association. The Firm promotes and facilitates attendance at numerous training and educational sessions of interest to women, such as a recent CLE program on tips from clients on rainmaking for women and effectively building a book of business. 
  
  
• 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. 
  
  
• Flex-time Lawyer Memberships. The firm sponsors attorneys’ memberships in Flex-Time Lawyers LLC®, a group that addresses work/life balance and the retention and promotion of women attorneys. Kramer Levin has hosted a meeting of this group as well as a recent workshop by the group’s founder on “Work/Life Balance & Business Development in a 24/7 World.”
  
  
• 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 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.
  
  
• Networking & Social Events 
  
  
  • Internal Events. Kramer Levin hosts periodic internal lunches with the women attorneys across departments and senior staff to encourage networking and a sense of connection with other women within the Firm. 
    
    
  • External Events. Kramer Levin offers its women attorneys a unique lunch program 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 get to know leaders in the law and in business personally in a small group setting and to learn from their careers. Guests of honor at these lunches have included a United States District Judge, the General Counsels and senior in-house counsels of several prominent companies and foundations, principals of investment companies, and a chief finance officer of a national real estate company.
    
    
  • Maintaining Connections with Our Former Women Attorneys. Kramer Levin hosts an annual alumni event and continues to reach out to its former attorneys to encourage networking and career development. 
    
    
• Work/Life Resources. The Firm also offers the following:
  
  
  • Back-up childcare – The Firm provides free off-site back-up emergency childcare through Bright Horizons to all of its employees. 
    
    
  • Personal Use Room – The Firm has a devoted room for nursing mothers as well as for other personal uses. 
    
    
  • LifeWorks - The Firm's resource and referral program provides contacts, information, and practical solutions for a multitude of personal issues

Our Women’s Initiatives Committee

Kramer Levin’s Women’s Initiative Committee is comprised of both women and men partners. 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. This committee works together with the firm’s Women’s Initiative Advisory Committee, comprised of women and men associates and special counsel from various departments.

Diversity Committee

Kramer Levin’s Diversity Committee is committed to the recruitment of law students and lawyers of diverse backgrounds, professional development of lawyers in minority groups and promotion of an open and ongoing dialogue on a wide range of diversity issues. The committee believes that by prioritizing diversity issues, we will continue to promote an environment where women and men of varied races, ages, national origins, religions and sexual orientation can practice law in a collegial and effective manner.

 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.