PA biggie
With a history stretching back to the 19th century, Ballard Spahr Andrews & Ingersoll, LLP counts 300 lawyers among its ranks. The firm's practice breaks down into seven departments (Business & Finance, Employee Benefits, Estates, Litigation, Public Finance, Real Estate, and Tax), and is also divvied up into 15 practice groups.
World champions
One Ballard Spahr client to attract plenty of spotlight in 1999 was the U.S. women's soccer team, the champion of the 1999 FIFA Women's World Cup. Partner John Langel has had a relationship with the team since 1997, when he was hired to take over its contractual and marketing efforts. Leveraging his years of experience representing sports clients (Reggie Miller, Ron Jaworski, etc.), Langel helped the U.S. team capitalize on the soccer mania that they sparked in summer 1999.
Moving toward gender equality
As one of Philadelphia's oldest firm's, Ballard Spahr hasn't escaped a "white shoe" reputation. However, the firm has also caught attention for its commitment to gender equality. The firm's percentages of women in each office are relatively impressive, and senior level women have actively mentored more junior colleagues. (Note: partner Lynn R. Axelroth manages the firm's Philadelphia office). The firm's part-time and maternity leave policies have also drawn praise. One associate, who took a year of maternity leave, told The National Law Journal: "Allowing you to take the longer period of time and come back in the same position you were in makes you want to come back, because you feel the firm is accommodating your family issues.
