HARRISBURG (April 4, 2017) — The Pennsylvania Bar Association (PBA) Commission on Women in the Profession will present Cozen O’Connor with its inaugural WIP Award for the Promotion of Women in the Law.
An awards ceremony honoring the firm will be held during the commission’s 24th annual conference, “Lessons Learned from the Women’s Movement,” May 11, at the Omni William Penn Hotel, Pittsburgh.
The Promotion of Women in the Law Award was created this year to honor Pennsylvania law firms and solo practitioners, corporate law departments and other organizations providing legal services that have instituted programs or initiatives that help women lawyers continue and advance in their careers while maintaining a work/life balance.
Since the 1990s, Cozen O’Connor’s Women’s Initiative Network, complemented by its diversity and inclusion efforts and mentoring program, has made strides in retaining and advancing women in the practice of law. Women have constituted on average 42 percent of all attorney hires at the firm and 41 percent of women attorneys have been with the firm for five years or more. The Women’s Initiative Network, which focuses on mentorship, networking, business development and education, holds activities throughout the year, including lunchtime learning sessions, mentor circles, client events, and sponsorship and charity opportunities. Cozen O’Connor also offers reduced-regular and part-time scheduling, backup childcare, and employee health and wellness programs.
In 2015 and 2016, Cozen O’Connor was recognized by Law360 on its Top 100 Law Firms for Women lists. The firm is routinely cited in The American Lawyer’s Mid-Level Associate Satisfaction Survey.
The WIP award will be presented during the May 11 luncheon with a keynote presentation given by Lilly Ledbetter, a nationally-recognized employment discrimination plaintiff and co-author of Grace and Grit: My Fight for Equal Pay and Fairness at Goodyear and Beyond. Details and registration information for the PBA Commission on Women in the Profession conference are posted on the PBA’s website at http://www.pabar.org/pdf/2017AnnualMeetingBrochure.pdf.