This global law firm is an industry leader that aims to please clients as well as its supporting professionals, lawyers, and staff members.

As the leading global law firm, Chicago-headquartered Baker & McKenzie has provided sophisticated legal advice and services to dynamic and organizations around the world for more than 50 years. The firm has a network of more than 3,400 locally qualified and internationally experienced lawyers in 38 countries.

The more than 10,000 lawyers, supporting professionals, and staff of Baker & McKenzie “share common values of integrity, personal responsibility and tenacity in an enthusiastic client-service culture.” The lawyers and other professionals in its firm are citizens of more than 60 countries who speak more than 65 languages, according to its Web site.

Prestigious environment
Last month, Working Mother magazine named Baker & McKenzie one of the 2007 Working Mother & Flex-Time Lawyers Best Law Firms for Women. This recognition was the magazine’s first-of-its-kind initiative honoring trailblazers in work-life balance and women. The law firm is among 50 others that were selected from more than 100 applicants, recognized for commitment to diversity and the advancement of women in the legal industry.

“We would like to thank Working Mother for this wonderful recognition, and are proud to be acknowledged for our ongoing efforts in creating and maintaining a work environment that helps our lawyers and staff balance both family and work lives,” said John Conroy, chairman of the executive committee, in a press release. “Baker & McKenzie has a unique multicultural heritage and commitment that embraces the importance of diversity and women in the legal industry.”

The firm ranked above average in five of the six criteria used to select the top law firms, which included flexibility, workforce profile, benefits and compensation, parental leave and related benefits and policies, and retention and advancement of women. The firm ranked average for its childcare benefits.

“Since its founding, Working Mother magazine has been the champion of progressive, women-friendly changes in the workplace,” said Carol Evans, CEO, Working Mother Media, in a press release. “Every year we see substantive advances in companies’ policies across the country, and we are so excited to be able to pair with Flex-Time Lawyers to celebrate change in a field that has historically struggled to support women and their life choices. I commend Baker & McKenzie for taking the lead for women lawyers.”

Some of the benefits Baker & McKenzie provides its lawyers and staff include flexible schedules, telecommuting arrangements, and paid maternity, paternity and adoption leave. These and other policies have enabled working mothers to devote time to their families while advancing a legal careers. The firm in some of its offices also celebrates an annual bring your child to work day and a children’s holiday party.

Some of Baker & McKenzie’s offices have established Women’s Attorney Steering Committees to organize educational and social luncheons and other events for women attorneys. These group efforts have enabled women of the firm to form lasting support networks that aid in the development of leadership and business development skills.

Commenting on the recognition in a press release, David Hackett, North American managing partner, added: “Baker & McKenzie appreciates the need to provide flexible work environments for our lawyers. Some of our lawyers work from home, some work reduced schedules, others take a year off for personal reasons but return to Baker & McKenzie on-track for partnership. They coach sports teams, volunteer at school, and contribute to their communities, while remaining successful, committed, and valued lawyers at our firm.”

Going strong
Baker & McKenzie announced in mid-August that its global fee income increased 20% to $1.829 billion in its fiscal year 2007, which ended June 30, 2007. This marked the firm’s third consecutive year of double-digit revenue growth and the third consecutive year that the firm’s rate of revenue growth has accelerated.

Baker & McKenzie also reported a 29% increase in net income and a 22% increase in per partner profits (PPP) over the previous fiscal year, taking its PPP above the $1 million level for the first time. The firm has raised PPP by 63% since adopting a more focused global firm strategy three years ago.

“We are very pleased with these financial results,” said Conroy, in a press release. “Our strong FY07 financial performance is the product of our efforts over the past three years to implement a firm-wide strategy that better leverages for our clients the extensive global platform we have been steadily growing over the past six decades. It is the most developed global platform in the legal business. As our clients’ needs increasingly become more global, we are now deploying our well-established global resources more strategically to meet those client needs in our core practices throughout the world.”

According to its Web site, Baker & McKenzie’s strategy is focused on five key performance areas: deepening major client relationships; enhancing core practices; expanding in key geographic markets, especially leading financial centers; better managing our talent to ensure consistently high quality of service globally; and improving profitability.

“These five strategic priorities are translating into greater success for us as a firm,” said Conroy. “Our strong financial results demonstrate that major clients increasingly value the breadth and depth of services we provide, especially as they look to rationalize the number of law firms they use in the world. At the same time, our greater strategic focus and improving profitability have strengthened our ability to attract and retain high-quality lateral talent in the world’s most competitive legal markets to meet those client expectations.”