Lawyer Monthly Magazine - July 2019 Edition

www. lawyer-monthly .com Just 22% of equity part- ners at law firms are wom- en compared to 61% of trainee solicitors who are women, suggesting that law firms need to be do- ing far more to improve retention rates of female lawyers, says new re- search published today by Thomson Reuters and Acritas. However, the research shows that law firms are making significant pro- gress in addressing the disparity in the gender make-up at senior and junior levels by introduc- ing a raft of successful ini- tiatives. For example: • 69% of law firms have a board level representa- tive where a significant part of their role is fo- cused on diversity • 60% of law firms ana- lyse their gender diversity at a practice-by-prac- tice level • 60% of law firms have voluntarily added part- ners into their gender pay gap reporting to im- prove transparency The Transforming Wom- en’s Leadership in the Law research study, con- ducted in partnership with Acritas, is based on responses from 48 lead- ing UK and European law firms. The study analy- ses levels of gender di- versity across positions from Trainee to Execu- tive Board and the steps law firms are taking to improve retention of women into senior roles. Lucinda Case, Lead, Le- gal Professionals, Europe, at Thomson Reuters says: “There are signs of cracks in the glass ceiling at UK law firms.” “There is still a long way to go, but law firms now are becoming increas- ingly engaged in fixing this problem.” “Many law firms have accepted that the sig- nificant imbalance at the top of their structures is not helping their busi- ness. They are respond- ing to that by imple- menting changes to their strategies that should, given time, be a force for good.” The study also shows the following: • 46% of law firms have initiatives for a represent- ative gender balance in all pitches to potential clients • 30% of law firms have initiatives that ensure a representative gender balance on all client teams • 47% have initiatives to offer sponsorships to female candidates for Partnership • 42% have processes in place to ensure that slates of candidates up for promotion are gender balanced What are the most suc- cessful steps law firms are taking to improve gender diversity? There are three key themes that have emerged from the re- search that law firms see as vital to successfully de- livering an improvement in gender balance at senior levels. These are: Make gender diversity a strategic goal Law firms can demon- strate a serious commit- ment to gender diver- sity progress by clearly naming gender diversity as a strategic goal. To achieve this, firms should treat achieving gender diversity the same way as any other strategic goal – by appointing a board representative, openly declaring targets and tracking progress on those targets. Ensure female lawyers get sufficient client ex- posure and access to a wide range of work The research shows that firms that actively try Just 22% of equity partners at law firms are women – compared to 61% of trainees DIVERSITY to ensure that teams are balanced have the highest retention rate of women from junior as- sociate to equity part- ners. Firms can achieve the balance by taking it upon themselves to ensure client teams are equally representative, and also by welcoming client demands for gen- der balance. Reconsider ‘women-on- ly’ initiatives and check that mentors are giving the right advice Unfortunately, there are some well-intentioned initiatives that corre- late with less success in improving gender bal- ance at senior level. The research showed that ‘Women only networks’, for example, can be damaging for gender balance, but opening those networks up to include men can result in them having a posi- tive effect. Mentoring programs also showed a negative correlation. Further qualitative ex- ploration suggested that advice can sometimes put women off the part- nership track rather than encourage them. The key to making these initi- atives a success is collat- ing feedback from staff. Lisa Hart Shepherd, Ac- ritas’ CEO, commented “The research has de- livered some surprising insights that are consist- ent with broader diversity research which suggests some diversity programs have a negative effect. It is important for firms to take a step back and review their portfolio of initiatives and check that they are working holisti- cally to positive effect in their current form.” Lucinda Case adds: “We are delighted that it has resulted in numer- ous practical and imple- mentable recommen- dations for law firms. We are excited about the new and innovative ap- proaches that law firms are taking in driving such change. But there is a long way to go and it is important that gender diversity, like other forms of diversity, remains an absolute top priority for law firms.” 12 Monthly Round-Up JUL 2019