Debevoise & Plimpton

It's a Fact!
In 2010, 66% of the firm's new partners were women, and women have made up fifty percent or more of new partners at the firm for the last 4 years.
What We Love

Part of the lore of this New York City–based firm, founded in 1931, is its long history of supporting women. Its part-time-work program has been in place for more than 40 years, and in 1995, for the first time, a reduced-hours associate—Margaret Davenport—was promoted to partner. The firm was among the first to introduce an innovative reduced-hours compensation structure: Instead of using an arbitrary hours standard, it compensates reduced-hours lawyers based on the relationship of their hours to the working pace of the firm’s full-time lawyers; the hours standard is adjusted every six months. More recently, Debevoise & Plimpton established a progressive primary child-care leave policy, giving a total paid-leave benefit of 20 weeks. Its policies continue to translate to success for its women lawyers: In 2010, 66% of the firm's new partners were women, and women have made up fifty percent or more of new partners at the firm for the last 4 years.

Female Equity Partners 17%

Lawyers Working Reduced Hours 11%

It's a Fact!

New dads get 10 weeks paid paternity leave.

What We Love

Working moms don’t need to ask for a flex work schedule here. A director of professional development, who’s managed the reduced-hours program for two decades, reaches out to associates who are pregnant or on leave to ease their transition back to work at a pace that makes sense for them. The New York City–based firm started the program more than 40 years ago and has been refining it ever since. When reduced-hours lawyers work significantly more than planned, the firm offers more pay or time off. Reduced hours associates can request a mentor who also works a reduced-hours schedule so they can share experiences.

Female equity partners: 16%*

Female counsel: 44%

Female associates: 52%

Female lawyers promoted to equity partner, 2004–2008: 26%

Lawyers working reduced hours: 11%

Lawyers working reduced hours, 2004–2008: 9%

Weeks paid maternity leave: 20

Weeks paid paternity leave: 10

Weeks paid adoption leave: 10

Offer phase-back program for new moms?: Yes

Offer reentry program for lawyer moms?: Yes

Offer formal flextime program for associates & counsel?: No

Lawyers working flextime schedule: 0%

Offer support groups for reduced-hours lawyers?: Yes

*Law firm does not offer nonequity partnership