women empowerment
West Hill Selected to Mass Lawyers Weekly Inaugural Empowering Women Awards List
7 August 2023
West Hill is proud to be recognized in the inaugural Empowering Women Awards list by Mass Lawyers Weekly. We congratulate fellow recipients for their shared commitment to the support and advancement of women in the legal community.
The Empowering Women Award recognizes a law firm’s commitment to hiring and promoting women, providing mentoring and opportunities for professional advancement to women attorneys, and establishing programs and policies to help women attorneys thrive professionally.
“We are both delighted and proud to be awarded this designation and recognized for our firm’s continued commitment to supporting and elevating women in the legal community,” said Louise Leduc Kennedy, Founding Attorney, West Hill.
A Better Way to Practice Law
West Hill was founded on and remains committed to hiring and professional development for women attorneys and support staff. Louise Kennedy established West Hill in 2008, after working in the Boston office of a regional law firm and as in-house counsel at IBM. When Louise attended her 10th law school reunion, she was the mother of two daughters and was distressed to learn how many women in her class had abandoned the practice of law because the pressures of large firm practice were incompatible with the needs of a growing family. Louise was looking for a better way to practice law and allow attorneys to integrate their commitments to family. She created a cutting-edge law practice that is dynamic, challenging, and innovative.
West Hill Values
Louise built a team of motivated and upbeat legal professionals looking for flexibility while still practicing law at a high level. West Hill values innovation, integrity, open and honest communication, and diversity. These values shape the positive and inclusive firm culture. West Hill believes – and clients have affirmed – that happy lawyers = happy clients.
Certified Women-Owned Business
West Hill is a WBENC- and SBA-certified women-owned business actively redefining the concept of private law practice. Diverse hiring practices are important to West Hill and many of its clients.
Empowering Women Awards
For more information about Mass Lawyers Weekly and the Empowering Women Award list, click here.
The support and empowerment of women is a critical component of the West Hill vision and mission.
ATTORNEY SPOTLIGHT: Louise Kennedy Speaking at the Werth Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation
20 June 2023
Louise Leduc Kennedy has been invited to speak at the Werth Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation F3 Summer Conversations in Entrepreneurial Leadership series at the University of Connecticut. She is an alumna of the University of Connecticut School of Law and will address the cohort of First Year Female Founders.
The Werth Innovator F3 Cohort pilot launched in 2020 to address the gender gap that exists in the business world when it comes to female-founded ventures. This cohort of Werth Innovators was selected at the beginning of the fall semester from a pool of first-year female-identifying students. The program focuses on building self-confidence through mentorship and peer networking at the beginning of their college career.
The most dangerous phrase in the language is, “We’ve always done it this way.”
Louise has been inspired by this quote from Grace Hopper, a pioneer in computer science and mathematics, and it sums up her approach to creating a unique business and technology law firm. In her conversation with the F3 cohort, Louise will share her story of stepping off the large law firm/in-house path to launch West Hill. Since its founding, West Hill has sought to retain the best parts of sophisticated legal practice, such as constant learning, deep and practical knowledge in its areas of expertise, and commitment to superior client service. But Louise and her team have also worked hard to replace many parts of the typical law firm that weren’t working. The firm’s vision, mission, and values and a commitment to supporting its team members’ commitments to family, community, and self. Louise will discuss her journey of reimagining her industry for the better and not getting bogged down in the way things have always been done.
West Hill is a certified woman-owned business, actively redefining the concept of private law practice. Diverse hiring practices are important to West Hill and many of West Hill’s clients either because of a corporate commitment to diversity or because hiring a certified woman-owned business assists them in attaining supplier diversity goals.
The support and empowerment of women – including young women entrepreneurs — is a critical component of the West Hill’s success.
