CHARLESTON — Dinsmore & Shohl is one of the top 62 firms in the country for female attorneys, according to Law360's 2018 Glass Ceiling Report, coming in sixth in similarly sized firms.
The report recognized 62 firms for "breaking down barriers" and "forging a path to a more diverse working environment," according to the report.
Anna Dailey, a managing partner at Dinsmore's Charleston office, said out of the five Dinsmore offices in West Virginia, two have female managing partners. Denise Pentino, the other female managing partner, is in the firm's Wheeling office.
Anna Dailey
| submitted photo
Dailey said of the 68 attorneys in West Virginia at Dinsmore, 25 are women and of the 42 partners, 13 are women.
"One of the reasons I joined Dinsmore in 2003 was the large number of women partners—I knew immediately I wanted to be a part of this firm," Dailey said in an interview with The West Virginia Record.
Dailey said she's proud of Dinsmore's accomplishments..
"It makes me very proud to be associated with a law firm that comes far closer to reflecting our society as a whole," Dailey said. "Women lawyers have been a part of Dinsmore’s fabric for so long. We have a number of women who have spent their whole careers here and have now retired from Dinsmore. That’s still [unusual] among law firms."
Dailey said looking more like our society as a whole is especially good for business.
"As more women advance to being general counsels and in C-suites of businesses, there is a reasonable expectation that their law firm will recognize the value of hiring and promoting qualified women into the ranks of partners and firm leaders," Dailey said.
"For someone like myself who has been practicing law since 1979, I have had the opportunity to see a lot of firsts, first woman senator in West Virginia, the first woman on the U.S. Supreme Court and the first woman on the West Virginia Supreme Court. I also understand how isolating it can be to be the first or the only woman lawyer in a room or at the table."
Dailey said back in 1990, she even waited to have a child until after making partner.
"I am so glad that the talented young women that I work with at Dinsmore don’t have to worry about such things anymore," Dailey said. "It’s still hard work, but I see them thriving and becoming more successful much faster than the women of my generation."
Law360's report says women still represent a bit more than one-third of all attorneys in private practice.
The report shows that total female employees for firms with 20 to 149 employees is 34.8 percent for 150 to 299 employees is 33.7 percent, for 300 to 500 employees is 34.1 percent and for more than 600 employees is 37 percent.
