When we realized earlier this year that 51% of Dentons Davis Brown PC shareholders are now women, we knew it was something we wanted to celebrate.

While we’re proud of this achievement, it’s about much more than just us. This is a time to celebrate the progress of women in business, honor the allies and mentors who support them, and share best practices that benefit everyone.

Women in Law

While women shareholders and women in leadership are business as usual at Dentons, it’s not like that everywhere. According to Forbes, across the United States, 27.76% of law firm partners are women. From 1869 to the present, learn more about the women who have changed the legal landscape of Iowa.

Arabella Babb Mansfield | In 1869, she was the first woman lawyer in the United States. After studying law in her brother’s law office, Arabella passed the bar exam. She successfully challenged the Iowa law restricting bar admission to men and was admitted to practice.

Lucille Schwilk | Born in Wayne County, Iowa, in 1905, Lucille Schwilk was Dentons Davis Brown's first known woman lawyer. Her story is one of resilience and determination. Despite limited educational opportunities, she completed rural school through the eighth grade and eventually went on to get her J.D. and master’s degrees.

Trailblazing Women in Iowa | To celebrate the Iowa State Bar Association’s 150th anniversary, volunteers in collaboration with the ISBA’s Sesquicentennial Committee created a slideshow, “Celebrating Trailblazing Women in the Law,” to recognize milestones in the legal profession achieved by women in Iowa. We are proud to know and work with so many of the incredible women featured in the slideshow, including our own Deb Tharnish, Beth Coonan, and Sharon Malheiro (1956-2023).

Community

While 51% women shareholders is a milestone, it’s not just about women in law. We recognize that we all rise together when we make it business as usual for women to lead. The collaboration to recognize others and share best practices is how we empower our communities, and we are all more successful for it.

As one of the nation’s fastest-growing centers for business, the Greater Des Moines Partnership understands and endorses the importance of maintaining a vibrant and diverse workplace and making places for everyone. Companies and communities that are the most successful are those that can tap into the potential of all kinds of individuals, create a welcoming, inclusive, and equitable environment where everyone can bring their whole self to work, feel a sense of belonging, and use their full human potential. More resources here.

This is not an exhaustive list, but other organizations, associations, and publications uplifting leaders and communities:

Chrysalis Foundation

Commercial Real Estate Women (CREW)

Des Moines Women’s Club

Dorothy’s House

Fearless – Business Record 

FEMCITY

Girl Scouts of Greater Iowa

Iowa Center Women’s Business Center

Iowa Organization of Women Attorneys

Iowa Women’s Foundation

LeadDSM

Metro Women Connect

National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO)

Polk County Women Attorneys

Science Center of Iowa – Girls In Science

Technology Association of Iowa - Catalysts Series

United Way – Women United

University of Iowa Women’s Archives

Women Lead Change

Young Women’s Resource Center

Working Together to Make Change

At Dentons, we are committed to achieving real change in the places where we live and work through collaboration with others and community engagement.

Women of the World (WOW) | Our WOW legal program profiles leading women in-house and engages members of the worldwide in-house community on topics relevant to their career success.

Allyship Playbook | Allyship is foundational at Dentons as we take action and work together to produce positive, sustained change. Our Allyship Playbook shares the perspectives and experiences of Dentons colleagues and contains practical insights into how each of us can be a better ally at work.

Mansfield Certified | This is a yearlong, structured, data-driven process to ensure that all people have a fair and equal opportunity to advance into leadership. Expanding our talent pools to include diverse backgrounds, experiences, and viewpoints enables us to make better-informed decisions and strengthens our overall effectiveness as a law firm. We are proud to be among the more than 360 law firms that have achieved Mansfield Certification, to advance a core value in the legal profession: the belief that everyone should have a fair opportunity for career advancement.