Chelsea Biemiller, left, and Elizabeth A. Kuschel, right, of Stradley Ronon Stevens & Young.

Although the women associate ranks in many midsize and large firms throughout the country continue to increase, only 21 percent of women attorneys working in those firms eventually make it to equity partner. Women associates must think critically about what we want out of our careers and take ownership over defining and achieving personal success. This requires women associates to be introspective and strategic about our career paths at our firms. To this end, we propose a few questions and solutions that women associates should consider asking to promote meaningful discourse between themselves and their firms, with the goal of advancing more women to equity partnership.

• What do I want out of my career?

The Greek philosopher Epictetus wrote: “first say to yourself what you would be, and then do what you have to do.” Women associates must take a similar approach; we must first decide what we want out of our careers, and then determine what small goals we can set—and achieve—to reach that greater objective. For many of us, we want to make it to partnership. But the inquiry does not end there. We should envision what our practice will look like, and what we need to do to create it. In what area, specifically, will we focus? Who will our clients be? Who can we ask for advice? The ability to answer these questions now, even if partnership may be a long way off, will help us keep perspective on the concrete actions we can take in the short term to set ourselves up for greater success in the future.

While of course it may be necessary to reevaluate and adjust our goals periodically, we must be willing to put in the work now, every day, to make progress toward whatever the current end goal is. Only after doing this initial inquiry can we dynamically and effectively engage with our firms about how to address any issues standing in the way of that goal.

• How can I leverage my support system?

The path to partnership is not an easy one, and a mentor (or several) can provide invaluable guidance along the way. Women associates should always seek to develop relationships with women who have made it to partnership in their firms, as these women can be excellent sources of support and advice on what to do, and how to do it well. In many firms, however, there are simply not enough women leaders (yet) to provide mentorship to all of the women associates. We may need to ask whether there are male allies in firm leadership who are also willing to provide mentorship, who can help us navigate the firm environment, and who will champion our accomplishments. We can also reach out to women who may not practice law, but have successfully navigated and achieved leadership in their own careers, such as former professors or women in the business community (which can also help us foster our professional networks, as an added bonus!).

It is also important to maintain friendships with other women attorneys, including those who work outside of our firms. We all face unique stressors and challenges related to our gender, and other women attorneys can provide a solid support system to whom we can voice our frustrations or ask for ideas and solutions. If you're having difficulty establishing the right network, there are many groups organized to support the social and professional development of professional women, such as the Forum of Executive Women, or the Women in the Profession Committee of the American Bar Association. We should also ask ourselves whether there is a way to initiate the development of such a network internally, by starting a group or regular meeting of the women attorneys at our firms. We all stand to benefit from the opportunity to connect with each other and reinforce our common goal of making it to partnership.

• Am I ensuring that my contributions are recognized?

Don't be afraid to advocate for yourself. Women associates are certainly capable of fiercely advocating for our clients, but we may (for a variety of reasons) shy away from advocating for ourselves and making our accomplishments known. We must ask ourselves whether we are using our advocacy skills to our own advantage. We should keep a record of our accomplishments and successful contributions, no matter how small. Not only can this come in handy during the formal performance review process, but it can also be used to advance our goals in more subtle ways. For example, if we want to handle a particular matter independently, or take on a new type of assignment that we had not previously received in the past, this personal “accomplishments file” can be used as strong evidence to make the case to the assigning attorney or department chair that we are ready, capable, and qualified. We shape our own narratives, and must think critically about how best to shape a narrative of ourselves that shows we are successful at achieving results and helping others, including our firms' clients, succeed.

Effectively advocating for ourselves means we must be unafraid to take credit for our work, and should ask whether there are mechanisms within our firms to do so. At Stradley Ronon, for example, an internal monthly newsletter is circulated to the entire firm to highlight client successes, new business, and marketing efforts and opportunities. As young associates, we were taught that when drafting a summary for the newsletter, we should not hesitate to include our own names throughout (instead of using more generic identifiers, such as “the team”), so that we could begin to establish name recognition among partners who would read it. By providing a channel for self-promotion, and helpful mentorship on how to do it well, our firm has helped show us that discussing our successes, however small and in whatever form, feels less self-congratulatory and more like the necessary part of professional development that it is.

• How do I ask for help?

Women associates should not hesitate to champion our own accomplishments, be vocal about our goals, and be willing to engage with our firms about how they can best support us in our efforts of making it to equity partner. We all know that this profession is tough (but rewarding), and that job burnout is real, particularly in light of the many demands and commitments women must often answer to outside of the office. There will be challenges and external factors that make it difficult to reach our ultimate goal. Once we recognize that there may be some impediment to our success, we should ask ourselves what solutions we can propose. We should not let the fear of being told “no” stop us from asking, as we may be surprised by how often the answer is “yes.” While it may be easier said than done, women associates should not wait to be asked what we think, or if there is anything we need. Instead, we should ask ourselves exactly what we think we'll need to address the issue head-on, and be ready to present that information to our firms. To do that effectively, we should come up with ideas for proposed solutions, and alternatives to those solutions, that can be presented in a clear, concrete form. And then we must be willing to ask for what we need.

Women associates should not feel discouraged by the statistics or adversity. Change is a slow process, and we have already made significant gains. Firms are increasingly recognizing the unique challenges their women associates face, and are taking steps to address those issues, such as by providing targeted mentorship programs or alternative working arrangements. As women associates seeking to make it to partner, we must do our part to think critically about what our goals are, what we can do to achieve them, and how we can best engage to ensure that we remain as long-term contributors, and eventual leaders, of our firms. If the women associates of today are willing to ask ourselves tough questions, and work with our firms to create solutions to resolve any impediments to our success, then we are far more likely to be the equity partners of those firms tomorrow.

Chelsea Biemiller and Elizabeth Kuschel are associated at Stradley Ronon Stevens & Young. Biemiller focuses her practice on complex civil litigation and Kuschel concentrates her litigation practice on employment law.