Portland, Ore. -- November 1, 2006 –- At its fall conference held in Portland on October 27, 2006, Oregon Women Lawyers (OWLS) recognized the law firm of Markowitz, Herbold, Glade & Mehlhaf, PC as the recipient of the first OWLS Workplace Leader Award.

OWLS created the award to recognize legal employers who are taking innovative measures to maximize opportunities for women and minorities to succeed in the workplace and advance to positions of influence and leadership.

Markowitz, Herbold, Glade & Mehlhaf, a Portland litigation firm, was honored for its outstanding efforts to promote a healthy work/life balance by facilitating and respecting flexible time commitments to the firm, by creating real opportunities for part-time lawyers, and by the firm's commitment to generous parental leave for all of its employees.

These measures are rare in the legal profession, where women and minorities face numerous barriers that may prevent them from advancing in their careers, such as long hours, unpredictable schedules, and partnership tracks that don’t allow for part-time work. These challenges can be particularly difficult for women, who often bear primary responsibility for child rearing.

To put the award in perspective, OWLS President Norma Freitas says, “The legal profession is behind much of corporate America in recognizing that it helps the bottom line to create an environment that allows women – and men – to have a healthy balance between work and home lives.” She adds, “With their flex-time and parental leave policies, the Markowitz firm is helping to move the legal profession toward changes that allow attorneys to be involved parents and spouses, reduce job-related stress, and have meaningful lives outside of work.”

Markowitz, Herbold, Glade & Mehlhaf’s practice of providing for flexible time commitments is particularly innovative, allowing lawyers to indicate each year how many hours they will commit to the firm. The firm respects that commitment and sets their pay accordingly – and lawyers generally work at the level they committed to work without dramatic variation. While a lawyer's hours commitment will affect his/her pay, it is not a factor in partnership selection. In addition, all the firm's lawyers and staff (male and female) are eligible for three months paid leave following the birth of a child. This is significantly longer than the leave typically offered by legal employers – and it extends to parents of both genders.

The mission of Oregon Women Lawyers is to transform the practice of law and ensure justice and equality by advancing women and minorities. More than 1,000 attorneys and judges statewide are members of the professional association.

For more information about the Workplace Leader Award or about Oregon Women Lawyers, call (503) 595-7826 or visit www.oregonwomenlawyers.com.

Outside Link: www.oregonwomenlawyers.com

Contact:
Jill Stewart
Marketing Director
503-295-3085

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