Clifford Chance was the highest grossing firm among UK firms…

Sonnenschein added a veteran Exxon Lawyer to its Energy Practice…

Ogletree opened a Portland office…

Gonzalez Saggio & Harlan added two partners to its IP team…

A survey of nearly 700 women law firm partners revealed an “intense dissatisfaction” with the compensation gap between men and women…

A former Texas representative joined Greenberg Traurig’s Austin office as an of counsel in the governmental affairs practice group…

A shareholder in Greenberg Traurig’s Tampa office, was appointed chairman of the Florida Bar Board of Legal Specialization and Education…

Morvillo Abramowitz was recognized by Chambers & Partners for the 7th consecutive year…

• Morning Roundup
• Clifford Chance Leads Rough Year for U.K. Firms
• Morning Roundup
• Survey Finds Deep Dissatisfaction Among Women Partners
• Morning Roundup

The study, which was conducted by the Project for Attorney Retention (PAR) and the Minority Corporate Counsel Association (MCCA), found women partners make 22 percent less than men.  That sort of disparity, the report concludes, opens the door to gender bias at firms.

“We knew there was a compensation gap, but we were surprised to find such intense dissatisfaction,” said Joan C. Williams, director of the Project for Attorney Retention.

Fewer than half the women equity partners and roughly one-third of women income- and minority-partners are satisfied with their compensation. An earlier study found that nearly three-quarters of men were.

Several unidentified woman partners are quoted as saying they make about 50 percent less than male partners at their firms.

One gave this account to illustrate the point:

“It is hard to say that gender is not a factor, when the median compensation for male partners is almost double that of female partners in my department, which is the largest department in a large international law firm. Once bonuses (which are confidential) are factored in, it is my informed belief that women partners in my practice group make less than half as much as the male partners.”

Roughly one-third of the women surveyed reported having been bullied, threatened or intimidated out of origination credit, a key factor in setting compensation. More than half the women reported being denied their fair share of origination credit.

Many survey respondents reported a lack of opportunities to participate in, or to benefit from their participation in, client pitches. Of the women surveyed, over 70% of minority income partners, 58% of minority equity partners, and slightly lower percentages of white partners, reported that they had participated in client pitches that yielded work for their firms — but that they were excluded when the time came to do the work.

Additionally, the survey found that women, who make up 16% of equity partners nationwide, are underrepresented or completely missing from their firms’ compensation committees.

• Morning Roundup
• Survey Shows Women Partners Are On The Increase
• More Women Attorneys Make Partner This Year
• PAR: Reduced Hours Better Than Layoffs
• Thompson Hine Well-Represented in “Leading Lawyers” List

Prominent Minneapolis health care lawyers Konrad “Kit” Friedemann and Mary Foarde announced the launch of FriedemannFoarde…

An AP report found that 37 of 64 active or senior judges sitting in the Gulf Coast districts where most of the cases relating to the BP oil spill are pending have financial ties to the oil and gas industry, posing potential conflicts of interest…

D.C. lawyers were honored with Legal Times Awards…

Sidley Austin continued its expansion into Palo Alto…

Littler Mendelson opened an office in Anchorage, Alaska…

King & Spalding will open an office in Geneva…

The Philadelphia Business Journal reported that more women made partner this year…

• Morning Roundup
• BP to Pay $25 Million as Penalty for Alaskan Oil Pipeline Spill in 2006
• Morning Roundup
• Report Identifies Attorney-Client Accounts as Major Loophole in Money Laundering Laws
• SEC Veteran Brigagliano Joins Sidley Austin

The findings varied from fourteen firms that had no women make partner to 25 of the firms interviewed that had 50 percent or more of those making partner women.

Though encouraging, PAR’s Director of Research, Cynthia Thomas, said the news could be better, citing that the “overall number of women partners in law firms remains low, at approximately 19%, and second, this survey made no distinction between equity and nonequity partnership … an even lower percentage of equity partners are female.”

• Morning Roundup
• Morning Roundup
• Survey Finds Deep Dissatisfaction Among Women Partners
• Survey Shows Women Partners Are On The Increase
• Study: Biglaw Firms Must Do More for Diversity

Of the 118 law firms taking part in the study, 23 had new partner classes that were at least 50 percent female. Topping that list were Sullivan and Cromwell, Munger Tolles and Weil Gotshal, each of which have had partner classes that’s 100 percent female.

On the flip side, 14 firms that have made at least two new partners this year have yet to promote a female.

Cynthia Thomas, director of research at PAR, commented on the survey’s findings in a press release.

“The increase in the number of women promoted to partner is heartening,” Thomas said. “But two factors indicate that celebration would be premature: first, the overall number of women partners in law firms remains low, at approximately 19 percent, and second, this survey made no distinction between equity and non-equity partnership, and other studies have shown that an even lower percentage of equity partners are female.”

The Project for Attorney Retention is a nonprofit organization that studies the advancement of women lawyers and work/life issues for all lawyers. It is headquartered at UC Hastings College of the Law.

• Survey Finds Deep Dissatisfaction Among Women Partners
• Morning Roundup
• Report: Women Still Not Making Partner
• Wachtell Again Atop Vault Law 100
• Bowman And Brooke Launches Legal Divas Blog

PAR is an initiative of the Center of WorkLife Law at the University of California Hastings College of the Law in San Francisco, and advocates for reduced hours as a way for law firms to retain attorneys, particularly women and minorities.

PAR’s Joan Williams: “Our analysis shows that flexible downsizing with balanced hours may save as much or more than layoffs. Flexible downsizing also helps firms retain their investment in high-performing attorneys and avoid certain legal risks.”

The group says layoffs are costly and can lead to lower overall billable hours. Reduced hours give firms more flexibility to respond to changing workloads, without going an expensive hiring process when business returns.

• Reduced Hours for Associates Instead of Layoffs?
• Report: Women Still Not Making Partner
• Survey Finds Deep Dissatisfaction Among Women Partners
• PwC Launches Law Firm Diversity Study
• Morning Roundup

Fourteen of the 100 firms did not include any women.

The survey included 100 law firms, which were chosen based on prior years’ surveys, firm size, reputation, and availability of information.

From the report:

The best: Cravath (67%), Dickstein Shapiro (67%), Wiley Rein (60%), Andrews Kurth (57%), Bryan Cave (56%), Arent Fox (50%), Baker & Daniels (50%), Hogan & Hartson (50%), Holland and Hart (50%), King & Spalding (50%), Luce Forward (50%), Simpson Thacher (50%), and Sullivan & Cromwell (50%). A special mention goes to Farella Braun, whose only new partner is female (100%).

The worst: None of the following firms made a female partner this year: Cadwalader, Cleary Gottlieb, Dechert, Foley Hoag, Kaye Scholer, Lowenstein Sandler, Milbank, Schulte Roth, Steptoe, Strook, Venable, Wachtell, White & Case, and Wilkie Farr.

PAR is an initiative of the Center for WorkLife Law at the University of California Hastings College of the Law.

• 50 Best Law Firms for Women Announced
• Cravath to Give Special Spring Bonus to its Associates
• Lateral Hiring Up 100% in London
• March 9th Worst Day for Law Firm Layoffs So Far
• Reduced Hours for Associates Instead of Layoffs?

“I think if firms aren’t thinking about such a program, they really should,” consultant Charles Santangelo told the NLJ. “A number of firms are already talking about it, and it’s happening for some paralegals. It may or may not work, but they should consider it.”

The PAR has long advocated for reduced hours as a way for law firms to retain attorneys, particularly women and minorities.

Associates working reduced hours would see corresponding reductions in their compensation, which would help firms cut their costs without firing associates.

It remains to be seen if the reduced-hours schedule idea will catch on with law firms.

The PAR does not have any statistics on the number of firms using reduced hours as a response to the economy, because the trend is fairly new. But a growing number of firms have contacted the PAR since this summer to ask about reduced hours and how such a program could be implemented.

Michael Nannes of Dickstein Shapiro said he doesn’t foresee a wave of law firms looking to reduced hours solely as a cost-savings move. The reality, he says, is that having associates work fewer hours doesn’t provide the same level of savings as layoffs.

It costs a law firm less to have three associates working 2,000 than to have four associates working 1,500 hours because the law firm must pay for office space and benefits for that fourth, reduced-hours associate. That added cost is eliminated in the layoff scenario.

On the other hand, Nannes said, clients value continuity among attorneys, and reducing associate hours would help protect the continuity that is disrupted by the layoff process.

Via NLJ.

• PAR: Reduced Hours Better Than Layoffs
• Report: Women Still Not Making Partner
• Olswang to Lay Off 8% of UK Lawyers, Staff
• DLA Piper Freezes Associate Salaries
• Winston & Strawn Continues Expansion of IP Litigation Practice With Addition of Two Partners