Great Cities, New Opportunities for Women in Legal Tech
Recent reports revealed the best cities for women in tech jobs and new opportunities for women lawyers in the tech industry.
According to an annual report, Washington, D.C. is the best city in the country for women in tech jobs for the third year in a row. Forbes reported that 41 percent of the tech jobs are held by women. There is a pay gap -- with women earning 94 percent of what mean earn on average -- but the pay is higher than the national average of 84 percent.
Silicon Valley, with the highest concentration of tech jobs in the country, has traditionally been low in the annual report on women in tech. But more women are taking top legal jobs in the wider San Francisco Bay Area.
Women in Tech
The annual report, issued by SmartAsset, bases its findings on jobs, pay, housing costs, and employment trends in 59 of the largest U.S. cities. While some cities are closing the gender gap, the company says that women are making less this year than last year.
In Kansas City, Missouri, which is second in the national ranking, women actually make more than men on average. And in Baltimore, Maryland, third on the list, opportunities have doubled for women in the past four years.
Meanwhile, the Bay Area saw continued growth in the tech industry but little movement for women overall. It is on par with the national average pay for women at 84 percent of what men make.
Women In Tech Law
However, more women are being recognized at top tech companies and law firms in the greater Silicon Valley. According to the Recorder, more than 100 women were nominated as Women Leaders in Tech Law last year.
Among the honorees were trial lawyers, in-house counsel, academics and government attorneys. Major tech companies employing female lawyers included: Dropbox, Airbnb, Intel, HP, Apple, Google, Facebook, Lyft and Square.
HP and other tech firms have created incentives for law firms to hire women and minorities, including rewards for those firms that diversify and penalties for those that don't. In hirings announced this month, Yahoo named De Ann Work as general deputy counsel and Pinterest named Christine Flores as general counsel.
Related Resources:
- The 2016 Working Mother & Flex-Time Lawyers 50 Best Law Firms for Women (Working Mother)
- Amazon Escapes $1.5 Billion Tax Bill (FindLaw's In House)
- Setting Deadlines for Outside Counsel (FindLaw's In House)