More women make partner at leading firms
New data shows the number of women in senior positions at leading law firms is growing faster than that of male solicitors.
Fears that the career prospects of female solicitors are going backwards have been discounted by new data showing the number of women in the most senior positions at the leading law firms is growing three times faster than the rate for their male counterparts.
The Australian’s partnership survey shows the number of female equity partners at the 42 leading law firms grew last year by 9 per cent while the number of male equity partners grew by just 2.8 per cent.
The survey, compiled for The Australian by ECP Legal, shows the overall number of equity partners at these firms grew by 4.1 per cent or the equivalent of just 86.6 full-time positions.
But women won 46.9 per cent of those new equity partnerships — or the full-time equivalent of 40.6 positions.
Despite the relatively rapid growth in the number of female equity partners, they still account for just 22.6 per cent of equity partners at the 42 firms — up one percentage point from the year before.
The nation’s largest cohort of female equity partners is again at MinterEllison, which lifted its tally to 70 from 58.8 the year before.
King & Wood Mallesons is in second position with 49.5, which is almost unchanged from the previous year’s 49.2; followed by Allens with 41.5, up from 36.8; HWL Ebsworth with 33, up from 25.9; Clayton Utz with 28.8, up from 27.2; and Gilbert + Tobin with 25.1, up from 23.8. Annette Kimmitt, who is MinterEllison’s chief executive and managing partner, said the firm was working hard to retain potential female partners by delivering great career opportunities.
“We are investing heavily in the development of our people; in building inclusive leadership capability to deliver a workplace experience in which diversity in all its forms is recognised as central to collaboration and a critical enabler of innovation,” she said.
“We have dedicated programs at each key career stage but at no point is the focus, investment and support more evident than in the years leading into partnership and the first five years after admission,” Ms Kimmitt said.
On the broadest measure of partnership — equity and salaried — Minters and King & Wood Mallesons are again in first and second position, but on this measure Norton Rose Fulbright ranks third with 49 female partners.
Alison Deitz, who is the incoming managing partner of Norton Rose Fulbright’s Australian practice, said the task of ensuring adequate numbers of women remained part of the pool of potential partners “requires eternal vigilance”.
“It’s something we are focused on — to ensure we are adaptable and can provide both men and women with what they want in a career and make sure there is a path for them,” Ms Deitz said.
On the broad measure of partnership, women account for 34.7 per cent of partners at Norton Rose Fulbright, which is the highest among the large firms.
The overall intake of all partners — equity and salaried — at the 42 firms was 40 per cent female — or the full-time equivalent of 133.48 positions out of a total intake of 333.48 new partners.
The biggest intakes of partners as well as new female partners were at Minters and HWL Ebsworth. Both firms appointed 12 new female partners while the overall intake of new partners was 37 at HWL and 23 at Minters — which put these two firms well ahead on these measures.
In percentage terms, the proportion of female partners appointed at a handful of big firms was significantly above the 40 per cent average.
Big firms with an above average performance on this measure include Clayton Utz, where the intake was 80 per cent female; Allens, 59 per cent; Ashurst, 56 per cent; MinterEllison, 52 per cent; and Herbert Smith Freehills, 44 per cent.
The survey also identified several big firms that have significantly increased the proportion of women in last year’s intake.
The big improvers include Clayton Utz, where last year’s intake was 80 per cent female compared with 47 per cent the previous year; MinterEllison on 52 per cent compared with 43 per cent; and Thomson Geer on 50 per cent compared with 35 per cent.
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