Female partners defy glass ceiling in record numbers

More women are breaking into the top ranks of the UK’s leading law firms than ever before, research for The Lawyer UK 200 Annual Report reveals.

The findings are in ­contrast to a report from the ­Equality and Human Rights ­Commission, which last week found that the number of women occupying senior positions in business had fallen.

There are still far fewer female lawyers than male, but ratios at UK firms are improving, with 19.6 per cent of partners in the top 100 firms now female. This is a slight increase on the ­previous two years, when the figure was around 19 per cent.

The total number of female equity partners has risen by nearly 4.5 per cent despite a fall in the overall number of equity partners in the top 100.

Nabarro managing ­partner Nicky Paradise (pictured), one of the few women to lead a top 100 firm, said: “As we all get better at flexible working arrangements and not expecting everybody to follow the same career path, the numbers will naturally improve.”

Pensions specialist Sacker & Partners scores highest on the equality scale, with women accounting for 47.8 per cent of the partnership. This compares with 5.9 per cent at the worst performer, Anglo-Scottish private equity boutique Dickson Minto.

Next from bottom is ­Scotland’s Burness, where women account for just 10 per cent of the partnership. Firm chairman Philip ­Rodney pointed out that four female partners had been added since the ­statistics were compiled, adding: “Undoubtedly this is something we have to take account of for the future. We’re moving in the right direction.”

Magic circle firms proved to be less inclusive than their smaller counterparts. Just over 14 per cent of partners in the top four are female, compared with more than 20 per cent in the rest of the top 100.

Trowers & Hamlins head of corporate Jennie Gubbins said she was not surprised by that fact, adding: “I go to lots of meetings at lots of firms and I’m completely inured to being the only woman in the room.”

The latest research provides a stark contrast with early surveys conducted by The Lawyer. In 1992, 9.6 per cent of partners in the UK’s 10 largest firms were women, but that figure has risen by over 50 per cent to 15.9 per cent this year.