The 'Best Of' Women in Law Programs

Kirkland & Ellis LLP ' New York

Kirkland's marketing initiatives for women are focused internally on their female attorneys rather than externally on female clients. Partner Jennifer Selendy says, “we provide our talented women with the skills and resources they need to succeed at the Firm and to do client development.” Kirkland takes the lead from their women attorneys and responds with programming they request. According to Selendy, “Kirkland has always had informal mentoring system and so the women's initiative that came from something that is organic to who we are.” The more formal women's leadership initiative in the New York office is driven by one Partner each from Corporate, Real Estate and Litigation and the local Manager of Recruiting and Manager of Attorney Training and Development. The office sponsors monthly lunches for the purpose of internal networking as well as quarterly panels or roundtable discussions with topics determined from what the women attorneys have said they want to hear. Most recently, they had a communications consultant come to the office to talk about how to be effective when speaking with clients and colleagues which was followed by offering one-on-one coaching sessions. In July, they are offering a panel discussion with a few women clients who will talk about what they look for in evaluating and selecting outside counsel. Selendy says, “Thus far, our female attorneys have been primarily interested in skills training, and socializing events with female clients have not been at the top of their wish lists.” As long as the women at Kirkland continue to provide feedback on what they feel they need, Kirkland will deliver.