"Why the law firm that fought Ellen Pao is launching an expansive new parental leave policy", 11 May 2015

The chairman of Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe, the law firm that defended Kleiner Perkins against Ellen Pao’s gender discrimination suit, explains why his firm decided to overhaul its parental leave policy...[A] recent survey from Catalyst, a non-profit that supports workplace diversity, found that women hold only 19.2% of S&P board seats in the United States...Women are thriving in U.S. law schools at the same rates as men. But they are not thriving...in law firms...[M]any of our country’s most innovative companies are instituting new policies to invest in women leaders...Gender disparity in the legal profession is a complex problem. But we know one thing for sure: The leading reason women give for stepping off partnership track is “the difficulty of combining law firm work and caring for children...”[the M.I.T. Workplace Center 2007 report stated]...Creating more opportunities for women will require changes in policy, culture and leadership. At Orrick, one way we’re seeking to attract women, and inspire them to stay and lead, is by expanding our parental leave policy...Paid leave has obvious benefits for working mothers and their families, which is why it’s mandated in every developed country except the United States...Of course, parental leave is only part of the solution... [Also refers to Apple, Morgan Stanley]