MBT Article.qxp - Meckler Bulger Tilson Marick and Pearson LLP

Front Row (Left to right):
Carrie Graziani, Kristen
Weisse, Pamela Perrone,
Lisa Breen
Second Row: Rebecca
Haller, Karen Dixon, Janet
Davis, Mari Henry Leigh,
Lynette Stafford, Anne
Blume, Julie Trester
Third Row: Anna Wermuth,
Sara Uffelman, Erica Dew,
Megan Garvey, Victoria
Dizik, Lynn Geerdes-Lugo,
Jocelyn Cornbleet, Melissa
King, Rachel Urquhart,
Sharon Ferguson, Sandra
McMullan
Back Row: Kerry Davidson,
Charlotte Kormendy, Nikki
Odom, Jennifer Pomaranski
QUALITY. CREATIVITY. SERVICE. VALUE.
Not Pictured: Eileen Baker,
Elizabeth Fulton, Georgene
Wilson
Meckler Bulger & Tilson Applauds the Chicago Women in Law
Meckler Bulger & Tilson LLP (MBT), one of Chicago’s leading litigation firms, salutes all 85 of
its practicing attorneys, 30 of whom are women.
MBT was acknowledged as “the first majority-owned large Chicago law firm to top the 30% mark
for women partners” when The Chicago Lawyer published its diversity survey results on Chicago
law firms. Over the years, MBT has sustained this culture – making it possible to attract, retain
and advance an ever-increasing number of successful women attorneys.
Since MBT’s inception in 1994, the firm has had a woman on its management committee. And
today, of the four practice groups within the firm, two are chaired by women:
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✔
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✔
Insurance Coverage
Commercial Litigation & Liability
Labor & Employment
Attorney Fee & Litigation Management
MBT continues to receive accolades from the legal community regarding its women-friendly
culture and proudly serves as a signatory to both the Chicago Bar Association’s and the American
Bar Association’s initiatives on women and diversity.
MBT is headquartered in Chicago, with offices in London.
Meckler Bulger & Tilson LLP
123 North Wacker Drive, Suite 1800
Chicago, Illinois 60606
p:312-474-7900 f:312-474-7898 www.mbtlaw.com

Assuring Women’s Advancement
in the Legal Marketplace:
Meckler Bulger & Tilson
Capitalizes on Work/Life Balance
When it comes to private law practice, women
attorneys are often asked to accept that “one size
fits all.” The Chicago law firm of Meckler Bulger
& Tilson LLP (MBT) rejects that view.
In accommodating individual attorneys’ unique
needs for work/life balance, MBT has created a
culture that has made it possible to attract, retain
and advance an ever-growing number of successful
women attorneys. From flextime and telecommuting
arrangements, to part-time status and extended
maternity leaves, MBT has developed innovative
solutions to meet the needs of all of its attorneys.
Rebecca Haller, for example, a partner in MBT’s
insurance coverage
practice, enjoys the
practice of law and is
accustomed to the
workload. This year,
however, after making
the decision (with her
husband) to take in and
care for her ailing parents
and her disabled brother,
Haller needed time to
make the transition and
the flexibility to balance
things going forward.
"The firm has been so
Rebecca Haller
supportive. Their attitude is: ‘take whatever time
you need’. This all happened very suddenly and I’m
grateful for the firm’s willingness to accommodate
us."
Carrie Graziani agrees. Like Haller, Graziani
works full-time as an attorney in the firm’s insurance
coverage practice. Yet their needs are different.
Graziani, an associate balancing her career with
her roles as a wife and new mother, works an earlier
schedule to increase her evening time at home.
“The people here work hard and yet are very
family oriented,” Graziani comments. She shares
a story about having to unexpectedly take a few
days off to nurse her children during a recent illness
saying, “Our firm leaders are very supportive.
Situations like this seem to always arise at critical
times, and yet it’s never an issue.” She continues,
“It’s important to me that the firm is so supportive
of my family commitments.”
As a result, women stick at MBT – a fact recognized
by The Chicago Lawyer when it published diversity
survey results showing MBT to be “the first
majority-owned large Chicago law firm to top the
30% mark for women partners.” As Graziani
points out, “Unlike other law firms, it’s not a
revolving door here for women. It’s a win-win
situation. I get to be a successful attorney and a
good mother at the same time.”
Flexibility Starts at the Top
As Chairman of MBT’s Diversity Committee,
and a partner in the firm’s labor and employment
law practice, Stuart Garbutt champions flexible
work arrangements for all of the firm’s 85 attorneys.
"We realize that every attorney is likely to face a
life situation at some point in a career. When MBT
was founded a dozen years ago, too few law firms
were making meaningful work/life concessions and
as a result firms were forcing highly-capable
women out of their practices in distressing numbers.”
MBT decided to be different. The firm began to
focus on the keys to women’s advancement in the
marketplace and, over the years, has reaped
significant benefits from doing so. “These are
women who add so much value to our firm that we
no longer feel their flexible arrangements are an
accommodation.”
Far too often, law firms deem it impossible to
utilize attorneys with outside demands that may

“These are women who add so much value to our firm that we no
longer feel their flexible arrangements are an accommodation.”
affect their availability. However, by addressing
and creatively managing those demands, MBT has
been able to capitalize on this component of its
highly productive workforce.
Anna Wermuth, an associate in the firm’s labor and
employment law practice, typifies this phenomenon.
Her husband is an actor
whose professional
obligations occupy many
of his evenings (though
he attends to their two
young daughters during
the day). If at all
possible, Anna does not
want to miss her time
with the family at
dinner, nor the girls’
homework and bedtime
stories. MBT affords
her the flexibility to Anna Wermuth
start her days early so she
can fulfill her work obligations and still make it
home by dinner, with rare exceptions. She thus
makes efficient use of her time while making
significant contributions to the firm’s practice.
“Our firm does not place a premium on face
time,” Wermuth says. “I like working here, and
even though I work hard, I do not have to do so at
the expense of my family." Managing professional
and personal demands in this way is not a skill
taught in law school, but it is one of the keys to
success in a client-service industry.
Other Examples Abound
Several years ago, Lisa Breen was shopping
around for a firm to accommodate her family
situation when she learned about MBT. Now an
attorney in the firm’s insurance coverage practice,
Breen has a child whose special needs require
recurring, time-consuming therapy. So Breen
sought a firm that would offer her enough flexibility
to manage those special needs without neglecting
her work commitments. Today, Lisa has what she
describes as the perfect fit – part-time work
practicing the law that she loves.
“MBT has always been completely flexible with
me,” Breen relays. “It’s been a great blessing.”
Now with school starting, Breen has needed to
adjust her schedule again – arriving later in the
morning so she can participate in the daily off-toschool
ritual.
Georgene Wilson is another example. Wilson
started at MBT three years ago as a partner in the
firm’s commercial litigation practice. But only two
weeks into the job her husband unexpectedly
passed away. She became a single parent
overnight – with two of her three children still in
high school.
In the wake of this tragedy, Wilson found herself
struggling with an array of intense and completely
unanticipated demands. In consultation with her
practice group leaders, she chose to take a leave of
absence, returning three months later to reassume
her full-time practice. “I was not accustomed to
needing special accommodations when it came to
my schedule. It was a difficult adjustment for me.
The firm has been extraordinarily flexible and
responsive to my needs.”
Wilson thinks the firm understands that flexibility
in the face of unplanned demands can lead to
happier, more productive attorneys. “It is the culture
of our firm to afford the attorneys the flexibility
to balance their professional and personal
commitments,” she says.
Yet another example is Eileen Baker, a partner
in MBT’s labor and employment practice, who
recently became a new mother. As she returns to
her caseload from an extended 9-month maternity
leave, Baker faces an entirely new world of
challenges. She plans to return on a part-time
basis – working with the firm to establish an
arrangement that will allow her to resume her
practice while balancing the demands of her newborn.
“I am very lucky to be part of this organization,”
Baker explains. “Some lawyers who look for this
type of arrangement at other firms have been taken
off the partnership track.” At MBT, Baker was

“These women have made a commitment to our firm, and
it is only right that we demonstrate our commitment to them.”
named an equity partner just two weeks before she
left for maternity.
For Karen Dixon, an equity partner in the firm's
insurance coverage practice, the arrival of her new
baby has only confirmed what she already knew.
"At MBT, family comes first – plain and simple.”
Dixon offers that the firm’s culture of support and
respect for personal choices has definitely helped
her work full-time and still enjoy her family life.
Walking the Talk
Conventional wisdom long has held that active
litigation practices cannot accommodate the
unique arrangements necessary for the particular
demands facing women like these. But MBT
understands that successful practices can ill afford
the talent drain that occurs when accomplished
high achievers feel compelled to leave their firms
for family commitments.
MBT has found that valuing both professional
and personal obligations enables a practice to
grow, prosper and succeed. Garbutt explains,
“These women have made a commitment to our
firm, and it is only right that we demonstrate our
commitment to them.”
With this commitment in mind, the firm’s
Diversity Committee (comprised of both partners
and associates) is charged with regular assessments
of the firm’s culture, policies and practices. The
results have been impressive. Of the four practice
groups within the firm, women hold two of the
Chair positions and there has been a woman on
MBT’s management committee since the firm’s
inception in 1994.
Today, MBT is a signatory to both the Chicago
Bar Association’s and the American Bar
Association’s initiatives on women and diversity.
The firm also regularly partners with outside
professional groups on diversity initiatives, such as
the Chicago Bar Association’s Alliance for
Women’s “Call to Action.”
Looking forward, MBT continues to harness
and grow its awareness of women and diversity
issues through a host of
internal seminars and
diversity initiatives.
Garbutt concludes,
“Here at MBT, we
understand that a
diverse workforce,
given the opportunity
to balance its work/life
demands, greatly
enhances our ability to
deliver the breadth and
innovation that our
Stuart Garbutt clients have come to
expect.”
Meckler Bulger & Tilson, LLP is
one of Chicago’s leading litigation
firms – with a prominent record
of victories on behalf of some of
the country’s largest public and
private companies.
With 85 attorneys (30 of whom
are women), MBT specializes in
commercial litigation, insurance
coverage, labor & employment,
professional liability and attorney
fee disputes.
MBT is headquartered in Chicago,
with offices in London.