Verrill Named Ceiling Smasher by Law360 for Gender Equity Partnerships
(December 15, 2021) - Verrill has yet again been recognized as one of the top law firms in the country for female attorneys and partners in Law360’s annual Glass Ceiling report. Verrill, a “Ceiling Smasher” is ranked fifth in the country for its percentage of female equity partners, among firms ranging from 101-250 attorneys. In total, women account for 38.8% of the partners at Verrill.
“While the legal industry has yet to achieve true diversity and gender equality, at Verrill we want to to ensure that opportunities for success exist throughout our firm,” explained K.C. Jones, Managing Partner at Verrill. “We have made great advancements throughout our history and as we look towards the future, we are continually seeking additional ways to make our workplace more inclusive while raising the bar for the profession as a whole.”
Each year, Law360 releases two reports regarding law firms who are leading the way in gender equality. The “Ceiling Smashers" list is based solely on the percentage of female equity partners to male equity partners. The, larger, “Glass Ceiling Report,” examines representation of women at the equity partnership level and in the firm’s total attorney headcount.
“It all starts at the top. Verrill’s managing Partner, K.C. Jones, set the tone for Verrill and our success followed,” said Regina Hurley, Partner and Chair of the firm’s Executive Board. “It’s not surprising that a profession lacking in diversity and parity perpetuates itself. It’s Newton’s third law – an object won’t change unless a force acts upon it - leadership is that force. Leadership has to be bold; it has to be intentional, and once it has achieved results, it can’t let up. You can’t break that glass ceiling or reach a diversity benchmark and say, ok, good job guys, we’ve done it, now onto the next project; once achieved, leadership is responsible for nurturing the change and maintaining it. It takes work, and the work never stops.”
Verrill has been consistently recognized for its efforts in gender equality. Verrill was recognized as one of the top ten law firms in the country for gender equality by the National Law Journal’s "NLJ 500 Women's Scorecard," in 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021 in addition to being named a 2017, 2019 and 2020 Law360 "Ceiling Smasher," and was ranked in Law360's 2016 and 2015 Glass Ceiling Reports.
