Americaswomen in Business Law Awards

AmericasWomen in Business Law Awards

Euromoney Legal Media Group

Euromoney Legal Media Group, a division of Euromoney Institutional Investor, comprises a wide range of legal publications including Managing Intellectual Property, International Financial Law Review, IFLR1000, International Tax Review, Expert Guides, and Benchmark Litigation.

Methodology

The Americas Women in Business Law Awards gives law firms and professional services firms the recognition they deserve for their efforts in helping women advance in the legal profession. The event is split into individual categories and law firm categories.

Law firms are first invited to make submissions detailing their female lawyer numbers in relation to their male counterparts. Submissions will also include details of tangible, women-friendly working practices and policies as well as biographical information about leading female lawyers.

A Euromoney Legal Media Group research team then conducts a series of peer review interviews – face-to-face and over the phone – with leading female practitioners across multiple areas of law and jurisdictions verifying much of the information provided. The team will also incorporate other research from within the group in order to further refine the results i.e. magazine survey results / directory analysis, etc.

Categories explanation

Gender diversity categories

Covers groups and networks (for example: women’s group with alumni, partners and clients present)
Also covers gender-based events. These tend to be more social.

Minority women lawyers / best firm for diversity categories

Covers everything around diversity that is outside women issues (for example: race, LGBT issues)
Policies have to be implemented in the country specified

Innovation category

It is based on ALL other categories
Look for interesting, new initiatives that are in the pipeline or recently launched
Where difference is being made?

International firm

This is aimed at the big international firms across the Americas.

Mentoring categories

This includes mentoring, sponsorship and coaching
A mentor is a guide for you to get to your goals on your own
A sponsor actively tries to get you promoted
A coach is usually external from the company and sits with you one-on-one
Please note that we include maternity and transition coaching in the mentoring category, NOT the work-life category. Work-life can contain elements of this type of coaching, but standalone projects go in mentoring

Work-life balance

Includes flexible working, maternity leave and groups for parents etc. at law firms (affinity groups)
This category also covers childcare

Pro bono category

Preference is given to ensure the work is relevant to women where possible
For example, legal work involving domestic violence or disadvantaged women

Talent management

Covers recruiting, retaining and promoting
Also covers leadership development programmes
Other examples include ways to hire more women associates (different adverts or recruiting from elsewhere, including other jurisdictions)

Country / regional awards

Awards for each individual jurisdiction in the Americas

How are winners decided?

The winning individuals and firms are decided by senior Euromoney Legal Media Group editorial staff following an extensive research process.

Individual winners are judged on their professional accomplishments as well as advocacy and influence within her field over the last 12 months.

Firm and country/regional winners are judged on their ability to support the development of women in the legal profession and provide work/life program to enable women to pursue legal careers. Criteria include the ratio of female-to-male lawyers (at all levels of seniority), the retention of women associates to partner level and any relevant diversity initiatives.