The Recorder: Suzanne Kane on What's Holding Women Back

Partner Suzanne Kane spoke with The Recorder reporter Jessie Yount about what's keeping more women from attaining equity partnerships and leadership posts - while California firms are ahead of the pack in this regard, there's still a long way to go:

"An American Bar Association study released in July revealed a wage gap between genders, and the fact that women are more likely to feel they have been denied opportunities because of their gender, contribute to an increasing number of dissatisfied women lawyers that could choose to work part time or leave the industry entirely before they have the experience and tenure to step into a leadership role.

The problem is not unique to women aspiring to leadership roles. It further persists for women who are in management roles, who face balancing their book of business, providing support for their peers, and priorities in their personal lives, according to Kane.

An unfortunate outcome sometimes emerges: lawyers’ book of business and billable hours suffer because their leadership hours take up too much time. Some firms are better at compensating lawyers for leadership time than others, but the industry has significant room to progress in this area, she said.

'Firms need to put their money where their mouth is at this level in particular. If you are serious about your commitment, then pay your partners in leadership for that time,' Kane said."

Read the article in full here: California Firms Have More Women Lawyers, but Fall Short on Women Equity Partners