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Women's Initiatives
Paul Hastings is committed to the mentoring, recruiting, retaining, advancing, and supporting of our women lawyers.
The firm maintains high standards in leadership diversity, with women comprising nearly 30% of firm management positions. We are recognized as a firm of choice for law firm management and leadership, with female lawyers serving as office chairs, practice group leaders, and committee chairs. American Lawyer and Corporate Counsel Magazine recently recognized Paul Hastings as having the highest percentage of women partners among the labor and employment practices at large law firms, and we are proud to have female attorneys serving as the global chairs of both our Employment and Corporate practices.
Networking Events and Programs
We encourage all of our lawyers to participate in events that encourage the advancement of women professionals.
- Washington Women's Network - The Washington Women's Network hosts events that focus on the success of women professionals, including a business fashion event at Saks Fifth Avenue; a clothing drive and sponsorship of Dress for Success and the N Street Village Women's Center; and an upcoming professional development seminar for female clients.
- San Francisco Women's Network - The San Francisco Women's Network hosts a speaker series with a focus on women's issues in the workplace. Their most recent guest speaker was Holly Fujie, the third female President of the California State Bar. They also sponsor monthly happy hours, wine tasting events, opera nights, and lunch socials.
View additional networking events and programs [+/-]
- Atlanta Women's Network - Atlanta Women's Network holds frequent networking meetings, social events, and programs that bring partners and associates together. The network's inclusive message helps inspire male lawyers to engage in gender initiatives.
- Los Angeles Women's Network - Los Angeles Women's Network hosts office-wide events and group meetings. The network organized and hosted the Women in Business Seminar, which brought together prominent women executives, Paul Hastings lawyers, and female honor students from California State University, Northridge.
- New York Women's Network - The New York Women's Network hosts office-wide events and activities, including a recent collaboration with the Young Women's Leadership Network which brought in girls from local New York schools to participate in a mock trial program.
- Orange County Women's Network - The Orange County Women's Network hosts professional development and networking events with area clients. Members have also developed an ongoing speaker series on successful strategies for business development.
- London Women's Network - London Women's Network collaborates with other women's resource groups to build a strong network of women professionals in London. They also have an established pro bono partnership with Women for Women International and co-sponsored a fundraiser in 2009 on the organization's behalf.
- The Paris Women's Network and Hong Kong Women's Network were established in early 2009. Co-chairs for these newly formed groups are active in recruiting; business and professional development; and client relations.
Women's Leadership Forum
The Women's Leadership Forum is an ongoing series of business and client relations programs managed and hosted by the firm. Recent programs include:
- Epicuriousity - The Forum hosted program at The Institute of Culinary Education in New York for senior executive female clients in the financial services industry. Participants were treated to cooking demonstrations, food and wine tastings, and a networking reception.
- The Kang Tongbi Commemorative Symposium: Women Changing China - The firm co-sponsored Barnard College's "Women Changing China" symposium at our Beijing office. This event honored the legacy of Kang Tongbi, the first Chinese woman to attend Barnard, who worked to eliminate the practice of foot-binding in China. The event featured noted panelists Wu Qing, the first Chinese woman to win the Ramon Magsaysay Award for Public Service (Asia's Nobel Prize), and Yang Lan, a media mogul, philanthropist, and popular television anchor.
Strategic Alliances
The firm also sponsors many events and organizations that honor and empower professional women.
- The Women's Forum for the Economy and Society (Europe & Asia) – The firm has sponsored the Women's Forum for the Economy & Society. Several partners from Paris and London have attended and served as speakers at the Global Meeting in Deauville, France, and the President of the International Women Judges Association served as the firm's special guest speaker. Clients from INEO GDF Suez and JD4C Conseil attended with partners from the Los Angeles and Paris offices. In Shanghai, several Paul Hastings partners attended the Women's Forum Asia Global Meeting.
- Women Lawyers Association of Los Angeles (WLALA) – Paul Hastings is an annual sponsor of the Women Lawyers of Los Angeles Litigators Forum including featured speakers and award recipients.
Read more about several recent alliances [+/-]
- Corporate Counsel Women of Color (CCWC) – Paul Hastings is a platinum sponsor of the Corporate Counsel Women of Color. The firm participated in a series of CCWC events and programs, including the 5th Annual Career Strategies Conference where partner Barbara Johnson was a featured panelist.
- National Association of Women Judges – Paul Hastings is a multi-year sponsor of the nation's leading voice for women jurists dedicated to increasing the numbers and advancement of women judges at all levels to more accurately reflect their full participation in a democratic society.
- National Women's Law Center – Paul Hastings is an annual sponsor of the National Women's Law Center whose mission is to protect and advance the progress of women and girls at work, in school, and in virtually every aspect of their lives.
- Women's Global Leadership Conference – Paul Hastings participated in and served as a panelist for the 4th Annual Women's Global Leadership Conference which focuses on women in the energy industry.
- Women Corporate Directors (WCD) – Paul Hastings is a proud sponsor of WCD and their annual events, including the 2009 Fall Institute where partner Tara Giunta is a featured guest speaker. WCD is a rapidly growing international community of women who serve as directors on corporate boards.
- Women's Legal 2009 – The firm sponsored Women Legal magazine's interactive, one-day forum on women in the legal industry. The event featured four interactive panel discussions covering topics such as the components of a successful women's initiative; empowerment and career growth; impediments to female lawyers' success; and gender equality and diversity in the next generation of law firm leaders.
- Catalyst – Catalyst is a leading research institution dedicated to expanding opportunities for women in the workplace. Paul Hastings is a member of Catalyst, which allows us access to cutting-edge research and “best practices” in the area of women’s advancement.
- Steering Committee
Donna Melby, Chair
Elizabeth Noe, Vice-Chair
Cheryl Saban, Vice-Chair
- Awards & Recognition
The American Lawyer - Paul Hastings named to Top 20 Law Firms for Women Lawyers
Multicultural Law Magazine - Paul Hastings named to Top 10 Firms for Women
Yale Law Women - Paul Hastings named to Top 50 Family Friendly Firms
Multicultural Law Magazine - Paul Hastings named to Top 100 Law Firms for Diversity & Women
- Contact Us
For more information about our Women’s Initiative, please feel free to e-mail us here.