September.22.2014
Orrick is participating in a new program called the OnRamp Fellowship that connects highly qualified women lawyers returning to the workforce with a select group of participating law firms seeking lateral talent. The OnRamp Fellowship was founded by Caren Ulrich Stacy, who has more than 20 years of experience in lawyer recruitment, development and diversity with law firms across the country. The Fellowship’s goal is to provide returning women lawyers with the opportunities, skills and mentoring needed to return successfully to full-time practice.
Through this program, Orrick will hire experienced women lawyers looking to return to full-time practice after leaving the legal profession for 3+ years, during which time many focused on raising children or handling other family obligations. After the one-year fellowship, the firm may offer the women full-time positions. The Fellowship and Orrick make a commitment to mentoring the fellows, and providing other support, to ensure their successful transition.
“Flexibility is absolutely fundamental to an inclusive culture. The OnRamp Fellowship is one of many ways that we are introducing more flexibility to the way we recruit, develop and retain talent,” said Don Keller, member of Orrick’s Inclusion Leadership Council, a forum the firm created earlier this year to actively involve men in developing programs to support the advancement of women lawyers. The OnRamp Fellowship is sponsored by the Council.
“Caren Ulrich Stacy has developed an extraordinary program to enhance the ability of law firms to access this pool of talented women attorneys. I commend our management team for jumping on this opportunity to participate in this program,” said Patricia Gillette, Employment partner and chair of Orrick’s Women’s Affinity Group.
“Orrick has a long history of being innovative when it comes to talent management," said Caren Ulrich Stacy, OnRamp Fellowship Founder. "Their progressive mindset and willingness to try new approaches on the diversity and inclusion front – which benefits both their clients and their lawyers – makes them a natural fit as one of the inaugural law firms participating in the first ‘Returnship’ ever launched in the legal profession.”
Orrick is recognized for its commitment to the advancement of women. In 2008, Orrick launched one of the first internal law firm OnRamping Programs, giving parents returning from leave the flexibility to ramp up their return to full-time practice at a pace that works for each individual. This year Orrick is named to Yale Law Women's list of the Top Ten Family Friendly U.S. Law Firms for the third year in a row. For the sixth year, Orrick was also named as one of the “50 Best Law Firms for Women” by Working Mother and Flex-Time Lawyers.
In the inaugural pilot OnRamp Fellowship earlier this year, four participating law firms hired nine fellows. The resounding success of the pilot prompted a mid-year launch of a second round of the Fellowship – and Orrick is among a small group of firms invited to participate. Visit the OnRamp Fellowship website here.