Whether it’s “Dealmakers of the Year,” “Litigation Department of the Year,” “Big Suits,” or “Big Deals,” the pages of The American Lawyer typically brim with pictures of men. But time and again, we’ve come across remarkable women lawyers, many of whom fell outside of our deals-and-suits-heavy coverage. To give them their due, we decided to identify the best of the best among young women lawyers in The Am Law 200, and bring them together in a single issue.
We called various industry sources and also invited The Am Law 200 to submit a maximum of five nominations per firm. All told, we had more than ten nominees for each spot on our “45 Under 45″ list, so our team of reporters and editors could afford to be picky. In the end, we passed over the many ink-worthy “rising stars” in favor of a few dozen women who–despite their youth–have already arrived. Some are well-known, others less so. But all have achievements we could quantify: They are leading billion-dollar deals or financings, first-chairing high-stakes litigation, arguing appeals, or managing important firm clients. We also looked for those with an upward trajectory at their firms, whether taking on progressively larger roles, heading important firm initiatives, or bringing in significant new business. We also recognized a few women who have built successful original practices, like privacy law or clean tech, or have taken their practices to new places, whether that be public international law or the Middle East. One thing we didn’t take into account: A lot of these lawyers are juggling careers with raising young children.
