What Makes PK Law an Empowering Women Winner?
Commitment to Empowering Women:
PK Law embraces a culture of diversity and inclusion among all levels of attorneys and staff. The Firm recognizes that a diverse and inclusive environment not only makes the Firm a better place to work, but better able to serve the needs of diverse clients.
Evidence of the Firm’s commitment to empowering women is in the Firm’s ownership and leadership.
- The Firm is currently majority owned by women (53% Equity Members women and 47% Equity Members men).
- 65% of the Firm’s Members (Equity and Non-Equity) are women.
- Four of the Firm’s five department heads are women – Lauren Ades Corporate and Real Estate Group; Chantelle Custodio – Medical Malpractice Defense; Kimberly Battaglia – Wealth Preservation; and Margaret McKee – General Litigation.
- Two of the Firm’s Executive Leadership positions are held by women – Nicole Ames – Marketing and Business Development and Robin Welbourn – Human Resources.
- Women chair or are members on many of PK Law’s Committees including the Firm’s Mentoring Committee, Associate to Non-Equity Qualification Committee, Benefits Committee, 401K Committee, Fun Committee, and Origination Splits Committee.
Mentorship/Professional Development Opportunities:
PK Law offers all associates who join the Firm an opportunity to be formally paired with a PK Law Attorney Mentor. Mentors are encouraged to meet informally with their mentees on a regular basis, take mentees to networking, bar association, trade group, and other marketing related events and pair up with other mentors/mentees. The Firm also hosts quarterly mentor/mentee get togethers for panel discussions, Q&A sessions and informal gatherings with other Firm Members and Of Counsel.
In addition, PK Law has a robust marketing and business development program that encourages all attorneys in the Firm, from associate to Equity Member, to develop a marketing/business development plan and provides support and resources to Firm attorneys to reach the goals outlined in their plans. The benefits of this program to the women in the Firm is evidenced by the number of women attorneys in the Firm who started as associates and have risen to Equity Member. Currently, seven of the Firm’s 15 Equity Members started as associates at PK Law and four of those seven are women.
An organic outcome of this dynamic is the benefit of having many women in leadership positions at the Firm who have taken on informal mentoring of the younger women in the Firm. This is not limited to attorney/attorney relationships, but exists between women in executive leadership roles, paralegals, and administrative assistants. There is an environment of women encouraging women to take on new responsibilities, educate themselves, and engage in professional development to excel in their positions.
Efforts to Combat Inequality, Including Outside Philanthropic Efforts and Community Endeavors:
PK Law was one of the first firms in the state to develop an LGBT practice. This practice has evolved, and the Firm is recognized today as an LGBTQIA+ Friendly Firm, serving, supporting, and welcoming those in the LGBTQIA+ community and other minority groups. The Firm has been a Baltimore Business Journal and Baltimore Sun Best Places to Work Finalist, due in part to the Firm’s culture of respect for and inclusion of those with varying origins and beliefs. PK Law joined the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law and three other large area law firms to support and help fund the Diversity and Inclusion Scholars Initiative. The Law School’s Dean, Donald B. Tobin, remarked of the effort, “We are incredibly grateful to these firms for their leadership in addressing this challenge. Our profession has talked about the importance of increasing diversity for years. This new collaboration is a significant step toward achieving that goal here in Maryland. I hope every law firm in the state will join us.” In 2018, the Firm was the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law’s Black Law Students Association (BLSA) recipient of the Firm Diversity Award. The Award is presented to an organization in the greater Baltimore area that promotes the recruitment and retention of minority attorneys. PK Law supports both the University of Baltimore and the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law’s BLSA events with sponsorship and attendance.
Click HERE for a full list of the 2024 Empowering Women Winners.
