Processing Your Payment

Please do not leave this page until complete. This can take a few moments.

June 25, 2018 FOCUS: Women in Business

Murtha Cullina’s diversity push woos top women lawyers

Jennifer M. DelMonico Managing Partner, Murtha Cullina

Q&A talks with Jennifer M. DelMonico, managing partner of Hartford-based Murtha Cullina, about the law firm's strategy for recruiting and grooming women lawyers.

Q. Murtha Cullina was recently named a “Best Law Firm for Female Attorneys” by Law360, a national publication. Can you talk about some steps the firm has taken to promote women within the organization?

A. We realized early on that to attract and retain the best legal talent for our clients, we needed to be more flexible than the traditional legal model. Our attorneys still must take care of our clients' needs, but if they need to reduce their overall workload, work from home or work unconventional hours, we help them make it work. Many women join our firm because of the flexibility we offer, even though most continue to work full time. It is a comfort simply to know that they have options, and that the firm will support them if their needs change.

We also make sure all of our attorneys have opportunities to develop their skills by working with mentors.

Q. What is the competitive landscape right now in terms of attracting top female lawyers, especially to Hartford and/or New Haven? Are there any benefits the firm offers that are specifically geared toward attracting and retaining women employees/lawyers?

A. In addition to the flexible work environment, the major benefit of joining our firm is that we have an established culture that supports women and helps them achieve even greater professional success. At Murtha, women do not need to spend time breaking the mold, working for change or fighting for fair treatment. Instead, they can focus on building their practices with the firm's full support. Our female attorneys also enjoy the social aspect of being surrounded by other successful professional women.

Q. Murtha Cullina has a “Women Expanding Business,” program. What is it and why did the firm create it?

A. We started Women Expanding Business (WEB) about eight years ago to encourage, promote and support the professional development of women at the firm and in the broader business community. We host one or two events a year in each of our major geographic locations (Boston, Hartford, New Haven and Stamford) for our women attorneys, clients and friends. Some events have speakers, some are entirely social. But they are all wonderful opportunities to network and develop relationships with other successful professional women.

We also have internal WEB meetings with the firm's women attorneys to discuss the unique issues affecting professional women. This not only provides encouragement and support to our younger attorneys, but helps them develop relationships with our women partners.

Q. As a woman managing partner, what challenges have you had to overcome in terms of confronting gender bias?

A. I have a tremendous support system, both inside and outside the firm, and have found most people to be extremely supportive of me in this role. Murtha is in its tenth year with a female managing partner, so any internal issues of bias that my predecessor may have faced are long gone.

The biggest bias issue I have faced throughout my career, and that continues as managing partner with people outside the firm, is not mean-spirited but does reflect an unintended bias about what a lawyer, law firm partner, or law firm managing partner looks like.

Many times, particularly early in my career but still today, people assume I am not a lawyer. One example occurred at my first deposition. The lawyer on the other side stopped me after the first question and said — you can't ask questions, only a lawyer can ask questions. (He quickly realized his mistaken assumption.)

As managing partner, this trend has continued. Nearly every time I tell someone I am the managing partner of Murtha Cullina they immediately ask — of the whole firm? I am asked this question so frequently my executive director made me a T-shirt. It is a funny reminder that we should not make assumptions and that yes, a woman certainly can lead an entire law firm.

Sign up for Enews

Most Recent

Most Recent

0 Comments

Order a PDF