“We are pleased that Cristina has agreed to take the reins of the firm’s WINRS program. No one is better positioned to continue to enhance the positive results WINRS has achieved firmwide,” said Sandy Thomas, Reed Smith’s Global Managing Partner. “Under Cristina’s direction, I am confident that Reed Smith will continue to be recognized as one of the nation’s best law firms for women.”
A member of the firm’s Insurance Recovery Practice for over a decade, Shea represents corporate policyholders in disputes with insurance companies. She is a 1995 graduate of the University of the Pacific – McGeorge School of Law. Cristina has been a member of Reed Smith since 2008 and joined its Executive Committee in 2018.
“I am delighted at the opportunity to lead WINRS and to continue to move the needle in growing a firm culture that supports and advances women lawyers at all stages of their careers,” said Shea. “WINRS will maintain its focus on developing, retaining, and advancing the next generation of women lawyers and will continue to be an industry leader in these efforts.”
The WINRS Committee is actively engaged in building a global platform focused on providing business development support, training, mentoring, and recruiting and retention structures for the firm’s women lawyers. Legacy initiatives of WINRS include ReturneRS (for women lawyers returning from maternity leave) and PipelineRS (to foster the promotion of women within the firm), both of which provide targeted, customized assistance to women at critical points in their career trajectories.
In 2017, the firm rolled out new guidelines and launched training to increase its women lawyers’ courtroom participation and prepare them for leadership roles in litigation venues. In May 2018, it announced a new ramp-up policy that reduces the expected hours for attorneys returning from covered leaves of absence in the four months following that return. The reduction in the stress and billable hour pressures provided by the new policy is expected to make the transition back to work easier for many of Reed Smith’s women attorneys.
“Reed Smith’s WINRS is a world-class approach to developing women lawyers’ careers” said Casey Ryan, the firm’s Global Head of Legal Personnel. “Cristina will no doubt hit the ground running and take this important Initiative to new heights in the years ahead. “
In July 2018, Working Mother magazine named Reed Smith among “the Best Law Firms for Women” for the eighth year in a row in recognition of its significant attention to meeting its women members’ needs and providing resources to promote and sustain their advancement and career success. The firm is also only one of two firms in the country to receive the gold standard from the Women in Law Empowerment Forum for seven years running. The firm also was named a 2018 Top Ten Family Friendly Firm by Yale Law Women. Reed Smith recently achieved Mansfield Certification which measures whether a firm has affirmatively considered women and attorneys of color for at least 30 percent of leadership and governance roles, equity partner promotions, and senior lateral positions
About Reed Smith
Reed Smith is a dynamic international law firm dedicated to helping clients move their businesses forward. Our belief is that by delivering smarter and more creative legal services, we will not only enrich our clients’ experiences with us, but also support them in achieving their business goals.
Our long-standing relationships, international outlook, and collaborative structure make us the go-to partner for the speedy resolution of complex disputes, transactions, and regulatory matters.
For further information, please visit reedsmith.com.
