Forget everything you know about the traditional “partner track”—at this forward-thinking law firm, there’s no set length of time during which attorneys must advance to the partnership, no official billable-hour target and no prohibition against reducing one’s schedule while being up for promotion. “If people are happy and fulfilled, they are going to do their best work, which is the goal,” says partner Mary Beth Hogan. At least 9% of attorneys here work part-time, logging an average of 1,291 hours per year; among female partners in the United States, 50% are now on part-time schedules, or have been at some point. To facilitate workplace mobility, the firm grants associates a $1,000 technology allowance every three years, to be used on anything from laptops and printers to home Wi-Fi. Its internal Women’s Resource Group amplified everyone’s opportunities by holding a dozen training, education and networking events for attorneys in 2011.

Female Equity Partners 18%

Lawyers Working Reduced Hours 9%