Women in the Workplace
Warner Norcross & Judd LLP is committed to the success of women in our firm. Women make up the majority of the workforce at Warner Norcross & Judd LLP and play a critical role in the success of our firm. Nearly half of our associate attorneys are women, and women comprise the majority of our directors, paralegals and support staff.
Women serve many leadership roles within the Firm. Since its formation in 2005, three women have been elected by the partnership to serve on the Firm's ten-member Management Committee. Two women were elected to serve on the Nomination and Evaluation Committee, which does annual performance evaluations of the Firm's Managing Partner, Management Committee and other firm standing committees. Six female partners chair practice groups or subgroups within a practice group. Women are active members of our Recruiting and Professional Staff Committees, which are charged with the hiring, evaluation and retention of associates. Our Director of Professional Development and our Practice Development Partner are women.
Warner Norcross & Judd is a Platinum Sponsor of Inforum, a women's networking organization originally founded as the Detroit Women's Economic Club. The mission of Inforum is to strengthen the business climate by creating opportunities for women to lead and to succeed by fostering a diverse community of executive and professional women who share a passion for business growth and success. In 2005, Warner Norcross & Judd played a leading role in the development of a West Michigan Chapter of Inforum. Two of our partners serve on the West Michigan Advisory Board for the group, and 14 of our women attorneys and directors are founding members. Our Managing Partner serves on the Honorary Committee, which meets regularly to offer guidance and support to Inforum West Michigan.
Warner Norcross & Judd is the only Michigan law firm to be a member of Catalyst, a leading research and advisory organization dedicated to expanding opportunities for women at work. An independent, nonprofit membership organization, Catalyst conducts research on all aspects of women's career advancement which it then shares with its members. Catalyst also provides strategic consulting services regarding women in the workplace. Warner Norcross will be working with Catalyst in reviewing our flextime program and other policies to better meet the needs of our attorneys.
Our wide range of policies and benefits allow our women employees to balance their professional and personal goals. We continue to evaluate and update these benefits on an ongoing basis to ensure we are providing the most current, responsive benefits to our attorneys and staff. A number of these benefits are listed below.
Associate Flextime Policy–Warner Norcross has a flextime policy for associate attorneys that allows them to work a reduced-hour schedule and still remain on career track toward partnership. We recognize that working women and men today have personal goals, such as starting or nurturing a family or taking care of aging parents, that do not eliminate or overshadow professional aspirations. This policy provides a path for our associates to achieve both. The Firm currently has two attorneys on flextime status.
Staff Flextime Policy–Employees begin and end their workdays at self-selected times beginning between 7:30 a.m. and 9:30 a.m. and ending between 3:30 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. We consider full-time employment to be any hours over 35 hours per week. This allows some hourly employees to elect to decrease their total weekly hours and still receive full-time employee benefits. Some utilize this benefit by taking one-half day off per week.
Flexible Hours–All Warner Norcross exempt and nonexempt salaried employees enjoy the benefit of flexible hours allowing them to accommodate family and personal schedules. The workday schedules for this group of employees are self-determined by the nature and deadlines of the responsibilities of their particular jobs. These employees are generally able to set their own starting and quitting times in order to balance the needs of work and family.
Paid Time Off–We have a liberal policy for paid time off which allows most Warner Norcross women to take up to 12 weeks off for childbirth or adoption. Attorneys are covered by a policy allowing for 12 weeks of paid leave. Paralegals can take up to eight weeks of paid leave. Staff maternity time is covered by the Firm's short-term disability policy or adoption policy, and then the employee can utilize banked Paid Time Off (PTO), if available, for the remainder of the leave up to 12 weeks. Our policy allows PTO to be used for personal or family reasons in addition to personal illness. Time not used can be banked for use in future years.
Adoption Benefits–We pay up to $2,500 toward eligible adoption expenses. In addition, we provide paid time off to attorneys and staff who successfully adopt a child.
Makeup-Time Provision for Nonexempt Employees–We recognize that all employees have periodic needs for personal time off for various reasons during the regular workday. Members of our nonexempt hourly staff have the option of making up time during the affected workweek, over a lunch hour or before/after regular working hours. This is in lieu of having to use banked time. This flexibility is designed for an employee who, for example, wants to attend his or her child's special school program or needs to schedule a doctor appointment.
Job-Share Program–Warner Norcross has been a proponent of job-sharing for more than 20 years. We currently have 10 job-share teams in legal secretarial positions. Each team consists of two people who share the responsibility for one full-time position. The members of each team determine the days of the week each member will work, holiday schedules, hours, etc. This benefit is helpful to employees with small children or eldercare responsibilities.
Telecommuting– We support the concept of telecommuting for attorneys, paralegals and support staff and have invested heavily in the necessary technology. As an example, one of our employees is the mother of four small children and now works from home three days per week. In addition, we have several paralegals who regularly fulfill a portion of their work requirements by working at home and several attorneys who work at home one or two days a week. Our technology also allows for the flexibility of temporary "telecommuting" via computer by any of our attorneys or staff. This accommodates those times when employees need to be at home or otherwise away from the office due to family or personal illness, travel or childcare emergencies.
Career Development Program–Our Career Development (CD) Program assists attorneys and paralegals in the development of their professional skills and goals. In addition to presentations by each practice group, the CD Program also offers seminars on a wide range of topics. These sessions are taught by partners and associates and supplemented by nationally known presenters. The Firm employs a full-time Director of Professional Development to assist and advise our attorneys in their career progression.
Lactation Room–We provide a secure, private lactation room for nursing mothers who have returned to the workplace.
General Benefits Information–Warner Norcross offers full medical, dental, retirement, disability, life and vision benefits to attorneys, employees and their families. Personal and family needs go through stages and our benefits program is designed to meet changing needs. In 2006, we extended medical coverage eligibility to part-time employees. We partner with Encompass to provide counseling services for employees and their immediate family members. Encompass offers counseling services online, by phone or on-site. This use of this benefit is strictly anonymous and is available to all Firm members and their families. Encompass also provides resources to help people through challenging phases of life including child rearing and eldercare.
In addition, we offer some legal services including trust and estate services and real estate closings, free of charge, to all attorneys and staff. We host a Firm-wide picnic each year, a formal employee holiday party, a children's holiday party, and several other social gatherings recognizing pivotal Firm happenings. Every other year we offer a "Bring Your Child To Work" day which has included events such as a mock trial held in a Kent County courtroom.