Measuring Up: Blackwell Sanders LLP earns recognition as best law firm for women

Blackwell Sanders is a 2007 Working Mother and Flex-Time Lawyers LLC Best Law Firm for Women.

The honor recognizes firms that advocate for work-life balance and offer women-friendly policies.

There are 50 firms from across the United States on the unranked listing, for which there were approximately 90 applicants.

Kim Jones, chairwoman of the diversity steering committee for Blackwell Sanders, wasn’t looking for recognition when she applied on behalf of the firm. What she was looking for was a way to measure Blackwell Sanders against its competitors.

“It’s a rather extensive application process,” Jones said. “The application itself is about three pages long and it asks questions about everything from the progression of women through our ranks to our leave policies and our compensation policies.

“We completed the application with an eye toward not so much winning the award, but as a benchmarking tool for the work of our committee.”

Kate Fleming, spokeswoman for Working Mother magazine, said questionnaires had 550 questions for firms to answer, and the magazine sent each participating firm a full evaluation, including weaknesses, strengths and how they stacked up against each other.

For Blackwell Sanders, the opportunities for advancement by women in the firm, flexible schedules, community involvement and the True North program, a women’s networking program started in the firm’s Kansas City office, resulted in Blackwell Sanders making the list.

Virginia Fry, managing partner of Blackwell Sanders’ Springfield office, said True North has been well received in the three years it’s been offered at her office.

“It was designed for women in leadership roles and professionals who might not otherwise have an opportunity to network,” she said. “It’s been hugely successful in Springfield.”

Fry noted that the entire firm is pleased about being named a Best Law Firm for Women.

“We like to think we are progressive, but unless you have an external benchmark, it is hard to know,” Fry said. “It is nice to have someone on the outside agreeing that we have done the right things in those areas.”

Supportive atmosphere

Fry has personally benefited from a culture of support and flexibility at the firm.

“My son was very ill for a time, and I took the time that I needed,” she said. “Sometimes family situations do come up, and you do what’s important.

“The rest of us may have to scramble and cover for you, but we will absolutely do that.”

Fry said the legal profession in general is starting to see the value in flexibility.

“I think as a profession, the law (filed) has been somewhat challenged in the past to attract women because women sometimes do need flexibility in their schedules,” Fry said. “There are times in your life when there is more to balance than perhaps others. I think Blackwell has really worked hard to support women through those times in their lives with the hope that they will continue to work with Blackwell.”

Jones believes there’s a casual connection between the firm’s policies and its retention rate, though she did not provide specific rates.

“What I can tell you is that … we’ve seen a dramatic drop in our attrition,” Jones said.

“Our retention rates among women, in particular, have increased a great deal.”

Outside contributions

Giving back to the community is also cited as a plus for women at Blackwell Sanders.

“I’ll tell you what my personal philosophy is, and since I’m the managing partner, this is certainly true for the Springfield office,” Fry said. “I think that as professionals, we all have a responsibility to give back to the community. We certainly encourage our lawyers to give back to the community. We do that by putting our money where our mouth is. If they get involved in organizations in leadership roles, we contribute to those organizations.” [[In-content Ad]]