Date: December 10, 2009
Contact: Kelly Griffith, Marketing Manager
Phone:
(612) 492-7514
E-Mail: kgriffith@fredlaw.com
For Immediate Release
Fredrikson & Byron Ranks First in Minnesota and Third in U.S. for Highest Percentage of Women Partners
Minneapolis, MN December 10, 2009 – – Based on its 2009 survey of the nation’s 250 largest law firms, the National Law Journal recently ranked the top 20 U.S. law firms based on their percentage of women partners. With 28.47 percent of its partnership made up of women, Fredrikson & Byron ranked number one among law firms headquartered in Minnesota, and number three nationally among the largest 250 law firms.
The National Law Journal article, published November 30, reported that only one-quarter of the top 250 U.S. law firms include more than 20 percent female partners, and women comprise only 18.47 percent of all partners in the top 250 firms.
Partner Ann Ladd, a member of Fredrikson & Byron’s board of directors and its executive committee, believes that the firm’s leadership and culture has made a difference in recruiting, retaining, and promoting female attorneys. “We are pleased to be recognized for our high percentage of women shareholders. The ranking bolsters our long-held core value of the importance of a diverse workplace. Diversity of thought, experience, and background makes us more creative and innovative, and better able to develop and sustain long lasting relationships with our clients.” Ladd states that “in addition to chairing seven of the firm’s practice areas, women hold several key leadership positions and are members of many of the firm’s committees, including the compensation committee.”
Fredrikson & Byron has a long history of embracing diversity and flexibility. The firm was a leader in the market by instituting formal flex-time policies in the 1980’s, and has a long-standing diversity committee responsible for identifying and recommending steps for the firm to take to enhance the recruitment and retention of attorneys of diverse backgrounds in the associate, senior attorney, and partner levels. Through its attorney-led Counsel for Women program, the firm also supports women business owners and executives, and sponsors a variety of women-focused programs in the business community. To read more about the firm’s diversity initiatives, see http://www.fredlaw.com/firm/diversity.htm .
Fredrikson & Byron is a 240 attorney law firm based in Minneapolis, with offices in Bismarck, Des Moines, Monterrey, Mexico, and Shanghai, China. We’ve built a reputation as the firm “where law and business meet” by bringing business acumen and entrepreneurial thinking to our work with clients, and by operating as business advisors and strategic partners as well as legal counselors. The firm’s primary areas of practice include banking, corporate, employment, energy, renewable energy, franchise, government relations, healthcare, intellectual property, international, litigation, real estate, securities, and tax. We serve a broad range of clients, including multinational corporations, public companies, privately-held businesses, entrepreneurs, government agencies, and family businesses. Fredrikson & Byron’s attorneys also work with individuals on estate planning, family law, and immigration matters. We are the exclusive Minnesota law firm member of the World Services Group, a worldwide network of professional service providers. More information about the firm is available at www.fredlaw.com.