Baker & Daniels Promoted Women at Twice the National Average in 2011

In a year when the promotion rate of female attorneys at U.S. law firms was only 32 percent, 67 percent of Baker & Daniels' 2011 partner class was female, according to a study by the Project for Attorney Retention (PAR) and the article "Report: Promotion of Women to Partnership Stalled in 2011" in The AmLaw Daily.

Baker & Daniels promoted six attorneys in 2011 and ranked fifth among the 123 surveyed firms in percentage of women in its partner class. Eleven of the firms did not promote any women in 2011, while 20 firms had new partner classes that were composed of at least 50 percent women, according to the PAR report. This was a decrease of two percent compared to 2010.

"While the decrease in the percentage of women promoted to partner for 2011 is small, it has to be viewed in context," said Manar Moles, PAR Executive Director. "There are few female partners to begin with, and even fewer female equity partners. This dip should cause concern because it further delays the day when women lawyers will achieve parity in the profession."

Baker & Daniels' promotion rate of female attorneys reflects its ongoing commitment to diversity and inclusion. The firm's Women's Forum assists with the recruitment, retention and professional advancement of female attorneys, and the diversity committee implements internal and external diversity initiatives.