I seldom have anything nice to say about big law firms, so listen up.

There’s a sliver of hope for women in Big Law. In a handful of major Am Law 100 firms, women are cracking the 25% female equity partner ceiling. According to ALM Intelligence data (based on 2019 statistics), this tiny list includes Ballard Spahr; Davis Wright Tremaine; Morgan, Lewis & Bockius; Morrison & Foerster; Ropes & Gray; Jones Day (it reported 25.4%, though that number is not verifiable, as the firm refuses to disclose information about equity status); and Covington & Burling. (This list excludes firms focused on specialized practices like labor and employment or immigration that tend to deliver lower profits.)