Venable has long supported the professional and personal development of women lawyers in key ways, both formal and informal, to enhance women's careers and foster a supportive work environment.   To help women lawyers expand their network within the firm, Venable hosts events such as brown bag lunches, women partner meetings and an annual women's partner dinner.  These events provide a venue for the firm’s women attorneys to connect on issues of professional interest and get to know one another socially. The firm also provides numerous educational opportunities through internal workshops and individual coaching throughout the year.

Venable also accommodates flexible and reduced work schedule requirements for lawyers without prejudice to their benefits, bonuses or career and partnership prospects.  Approximately 10 percent of our lawyers currently work on a reduced schedule, including several who made partner while working on a reduced schedule.

To further help lawyers juggle responsibilities both inside and outside of the office, the firm also provides benefits such as subsidized backup childcare, paid parent leave for the birth or adoption of a child and long-term care insurance program for those planning eldercare for aging parents.  The firm also provides Health Advocate, a free healthcare assistance and counseling service for employees and their extended families.  A variety of other activities contribute to the culture of the firm, including book clubs, softball teams, a bocce tournament and family picnics.

Women lawyers hold many leadership positions in the firm.  They chair several prominent committees, including the Professional Development and Recruiting and Partnership Selection committees. They also lead several of the firm’s leading practices such as the Business Transactions, Employee Benefits and SEC and White Collar Defense.  One such leader, Lindsay Meyer, our Administrative Partner in Charge for the Washington office, was interviewed for Vault’s View from the Top: Advice from Legal Women Leaders.

Venable also extends its support for women lawyers to activities outside the firm.  For example, our partners have participated in planning and hosting various events for the DC Women's Bar Association, Women in Regulatory Law and other organizations championing the interests of women in the law. In 2008, Venable was a proud sponsor of the DC Women's Bar Association Annual Awards Dinner honoring Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.  In late 2007, Venable, in conjunction with the Virginia Women's Attorney Association, sponsored a program on "Women in Negotiation,” featuring Judge Rosemarie Annunziata as moderator.