Ballard Spahr Named a Law360 'Ceiling Smasher' for Percentage of Female Equity Partners

Ballard Spahr has been named to this year’s Law360 Pulse list of “Ceiling Smashers”—law firms that are “charting a new course for the legal industry and taking steps to close the gender gap in the top ranks.”

Ceiling Smashers are the top 10 firms in each size category for percentage of equity partners who are women. Ballard Spahr ranked eighth among the largest U.S. firms—those with more than 600 attorneys—with 29.4% female equity partners. Rankings are based on survey responses from nearly 300 firms, including 75% of the top 200 law firms by headcount.

Ceiling Smasher firms are “smashing the glass ceiling that has long kept women from making it into leadership roles” and “proving that meaningful moves towards gender parity are possible,” Law360 wrote.

Ballard Spahr provides professional development support designed to bolster the trajectory of women into key participation and leadership roles, both inside the firm and externally. In addition to the leading equity partnership percentage, women comprise 55% of the firm’s Elected Board, 50% of legal department chair positions, and 40%—including 20% women of color—of the firm’s Allocation Committee. The firm provides a wide range of networking, sponsorship, and mentoring programs for women at all career levels, and supports its female lawyers through the Ballard Women business resource group, led by New Jersey Partner Holly V. Horsley, Los Angeles Partner Siobhan M. O'Donnell, Atlanta Associate Chittam U. Thakore, and Denver Associate Jennifer Brooks.

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