A record 13 of the nation’s largest law firms now have partnerships that are more than 40 per cent female – up from just one five years ago – as firms make steady progress towards gender equity targets.

The latest data from The Australian Financial Review Law Partnership Survey – sponsored by the UNSW Faculty of Law & Justice – shows 49.5 per cent of new partner appointments were women, who now make up 35.2 per cent of the partner cohort at the top 50 firms.