A Message from Senior Partner Warren Christopher

                                                                                              If you've lived a long time, as I obviously have, it provides a chance to see some major changes in our society. One of the most stunning is the emergence of women as leaders in large law firms and in the profession as a whole.

When I entered Stanford Law School in 1946, there were five women in the class. None received an offer from any large law firms when we graduated in 1949. My classmate and longtime friend, Shirley Hufstedler, a great lawyer and later 9th Circuit Judge, had to start her own firm here in Los Angeles in order to practice law. I understand retired Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, who graduated from Stanford in 1952, had a similar experience. She has said that one large firm did offer her a job, as a legal secretary.

Fast forward to sixty years later. Half the graduating class at Stanford is women, and every national firm is actively seeking to expand its female ranks. All across the country, women are rising to positions of leadership and economic power in large law firms, certainly not as rapidly as one might hope but, still in numbers that are significant and growing.

How has this happened? Why this trend? Well, as is typically the case with seismic change, there are multiple contributing factors.

Let's put aside, at least for purposes of this discussion, the moral or ethical element. Yes, hiring women is clearly the right thing to do. It is right as an abstract proposition and right because of its ripple effects. Women who are role models beget women who are role models.

While doing the right thing is important, there are also more concrete explanations. One of these is pretty straightforward. Major clients are increasingly insisting that women be involved in their work, sometimes to lead it. To some degree, this is a chicken and egg situation. Women who rise to positions of prominence in law firms are commonly persuaded by clients to leave private practice in favor of executive in-house positions. In turn, these female executives see to it that their corporations employ law firms that put women out in front, that encourage them to lead.

Another factor that has contributed to the success of women is their growing presence on Federal and State benches. The pivotal roles played by women like Sandra Day O'Connor, and our alumnae who are on the bench, have reinforced society's belief that women can do a great deal more than hold their own in high stakes legal battles: they can shape the direction of our future.

There's another reason, a deeper one, that I think contributes in an important way to the growing influence and success of women in the legal world. The talents, views and life experiences that women bring to the table simply cannot be matched by your legal brothers.

Moving from the philosophical to the practical, the overall question to be addressed is whether this law firm is providing every resource, using every opportunity, both to ensure that women lawyers join our firm and, importantly, that once here they reach the highest levels.

We are not at all satisfied with our present numbers, and we are determined to see them improved. This will be a cooperative effort. As a firm, we are committed to creating and fostering a culture of support for women. Our firm is committed, not just to being open to women, but to creating and identifying new opportunities for them. The Women's Initiative is a reflection of that commitment.