Julie Talenfeld of BoardRoom PR.

In my last column, we learned from the culminating legal trial that was the series finale of "Big Little Lies." I'm happy to report that the show's star and producer Reese (Witherspoon, that is) and I have filled the void in our hearts with the series' departure with a darling, daring piece of IP. "Whisper Network" by Chandler Baker, described by the New York Times as a "fierce and funny #MeToo thriller," quickly topped the paper's bestseller list and became a summer pick in Reese Witherspoon's official book club. And though it is fiction, it has much to teach us about retaining top female talent.

Without spoiling too much of the plot, I'll tell you that the novel centers around the female lawyers who work in-house at fictitious Truviv, a public company based in Dallas, Texas, and takes readers on a wild ride. As the whisper network grows louder, the novel takes twists and turns that totally surprised me and at the same time, reminded me of the uniquely gendered grievances so many women face in the workplace on both a macro and micro level.

The world of the high powered lawyer can often feel like a "boys' club," in ways large and small. In these times, it's increasingly important for law firms and legal departments within companies to actively support women as much as possible. This is not only "How to Be a Good Person 101," but it's also good for business. By treating women well and marketing yourselves as having done just this, female employees will be more loyal to you.

With women representing just 36.3% of attorneys at firms, there is a real gender gap here. It is important to make sure that your firm or department is on the right side of lessening that gap. Women—and men!—want to work at a place where they are proud of its policies and can speak to them far and wide. Word of mouth, after all, is always the best marketing tactic.

• Making and keeping women a priority is your best marketing tactic to target them.

To set your firm or department above the rest, here are some quick ideas for your human resources department to make the women in the office happy with minimum investment of time and resources:

• Promote women! Pay them well! This seems easy. It is. Recruit, retain and reward women.
• Offer parent-resource groups, which support both moms and dads. This will make women feel like it's OK to be both a lawyer and a mother and will actively remove some of the decades-old stigma associated with having both a high-powered legal job and a child at the same time.
• Create a formal female mentorship program in the office, as well as diversity and inclusion programs. If it seems more feasible to bring on support from an external partner in this regard, check out Ellevate, a global professional network for women. This firm provides in-person events, mentoring, workshops in leadership, a library of resources and thought-leadership opportunities for female lawyers.
• Encourage flexible hours and remote work. When life happens, women want to know that their workplace supports them in what they need to do. And if employed correctly, this will likely mean that women are working more, and that they are working smarter.

I sincerely hope that this summer's beach read inspires the legal industry to lift up its female attorneys and to spread this news far and wide! No more whispers, let's shout out the new headline, "Women on Top," from the rooftops!