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Thursday, August 20, 2009

Ind. Law - "Ice Miller wins kudos as women's employer"

Dana Hunsinger reports today in the Indianapolis Star:

When it comes time for that annual mammogram, women at Ice Miller can have it done at work. They can bring in their laundry to be dry-cleaned and breast-feed in private "mommy rooms." And if they have to work late, they don't have to cook dinner. The firm provides it.

It's these perks, along with a high percentage of female partners and associates, that landed Indianapolis-headquartered Ice Miller as one of the 50 best law firms in the nation for women, according to Working Mother magazine and Flex-Time Lawyers. It was the only Indiana-based firm to make the list, which was announced last week. * * *

The law firm also ranks No. 1 in the nation among the 180 largest law firms for the highest percentage of female equity partners, those who share in the firm's profit -- 27.3 percent, compared with 16 percent nationwide. And it ranks fifth nationwide for the percentage of female partners.

For the top 50 list, firms were evaluated on their profile, family-friendly benefits and policies, flexibility, leadership, compensation and advancement and retention of women, among other factors.

Ice Miller stood out for multiple reasons, including 12 weeks of paid leave for the birth or adoption of a child, as well as the fact that women who choose to work a flexible or reduced-hour workweek are still eligible for equity partnership, said Jennifer Owens, senior director of editorial research and initiatives at Working Mother. * * *

Other Indianapolis law firms are also making strides when it comes to female associates.

Barnes & Thornburg, for example, has 47 female partners, said Jan Carroll, one of those partners.

"From the time I started, I was given the same opportunities and challenges as my male colleagues, not that I expected otherwise," said Carroll, who joined in 1986.

Posted by Marcia Oddi on August 20, 2009 08:31 AM
Posted to Indiana Law