JPMorgan, Deutsche To Settle Libor Rigging Claims For $148M

Although women have made some strides toward gender parity in the lower ranks of law firms, breaking into the equity tier remains elusive. These 20 firms, however, are leaders in advancing equality at the top, earning them the designation of Law360 Ceiling Smasher.

While the legal industry continues to struggle with gender parity, this year’s Glass Ceiling Report shows that some firms are ahead of the rest. Here, Law360 reveals its third annual ranking of the best law firms for female attorneys, based on their representation of women at the nonpartner and partner levels.

U.S. law firms have long been overwhelmingly dominated by men, particularly at the partnership level, and Law360’s latest Glass Ceiling Report shows that recent progress has been — at best — only incremental.

A handful of law firms of various sizes and types are outpacing their peers on including women in their ranks. Here’s why four of them are positioned toward the front of the pack.

In a bid to elevate more women to positions of authority, law firms are taking a page from the National Football League's playbook.

Only a handful of the largest U.S. law firms are led by women. Here, in their own words, are perspectives from Shook Hardy & Bacon Chair Madeleine McDonough, Crowell & Moring Chair Angela Styles, Morgan Lewis & Bockius Chair Jami Wintz McKeon and Goodwin Procter Chair Emeritus Regina Pisa.

As gender bias suits pile up against law firms, it remains to be seen how they will impact recruiting in the industry. But some legal experts say firm leaders may want to look at the complaints as blueprints for change.

Apple and Intel hit hard at Qualcomm in public statements filed Thursday with the U.S. International Trade Commission in a case where the chipmaker is seeking to bar iPhones that allegedly infringe its patents, with both companies accusing Qualcomm of seeking a monopoly on the technology.

The government's case against "pharma bro" Martin Shkreli inched toward conclusion on Friday, with both sides engaged in heated sparring over the final pieces of evidence and testimony in the closely watched securities fraud trial.

Federal prosecutors told a New York federal judge on Friday that they want to dismiss fraud and conspiracy charges against two European former derivatives traders at JPMorgan Chase & Co. involved in the $6 billion “London Whale” debacle, because they can’t extradite the defendants and can’t rely on their star witness.

A California federal judge on Friday approved $125 million in fees and costs for attorneys who represented owners of Volkswagen AG’s pricier 3.0-liter engine vehicles with emissions-cheating devices, according to an order that noted the fees wouldn’t pull from the class recovery funds.

A Delaware Chancery judge on Friday appraised the per-share value of Clearwire Corp. at $2.13 in its $3.6 billion buyout by Sprint Nextel Corp., lower than half of the market price, dealing a major blow to Aurelius Capital Management LP, which pushed for an appraisal roughly eight times higher.