Female partners defy glass ceiling in record numbers

8 September 2008

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.

Firm	Female partners	Total partners	Percentage of female partners
Sacker & partners	11	23	47.8
Forsters	13	29	44.8
Pannone	46	110	41.8
Berrymans	42	117	35.9
Russell Cooke	14	41	34.1
Beachcroft	42	133	31.6
Shoosmiths	32	104	30.8
Irwin Mitchell	31	101	30.7
Maclay Murray & Spens	22	72	30.6
Weightmans	30	99	30.3
DMH Stallard	15	50	30.0
Lewis Silkin	13	44	29.5
Bevan Brittan	18	62	29.0
Thomas Eggar	19	66	28.8
Manches	16	56	28.6
Fladgate Fielder	11	39	28.2
Withers	30	108	27.8
Charles Russell	25	90	27.8
DWF	32	118	27.1
Morgan Cole	13	50	26.0
Shepherd & Wed	18	70	25.7
Russell Jones & Walker	11	43	25.6
Penningtons	13	51	25.5
Browne Jacobson	16	63	25.4
Reynolds Porter	16	63	25.4
Kennedys	24	95	25.3
Wedlake Bell	10	40	25.0
Geldards	12	49	24.5
Halliwells	37	154	24.0
Mischon De Reya	13	55	23.6
Dundas & Wilson	19	82	23.2
Hugh James	11	48	22.9
Blake Lapthorn	26	114	22.8
Nabarro	28	123	22.8
Trowers & Hamlins	24	106	22.6
DWS	40	177	22.6
Farrer & Co	14	62	22.6
Pinsent Masons	60	266	22.6
Howard Kennedy	15	67	22.4
Eversheds	77	344	22.4
Clarke Willmott	19	85	22.4
Bird & Bird	34	157	21.7
Thring Townsend	12	56	21.4
Olswang	19	89	21.3
Hill Dickinson	33	155	21.3
Watson Burton	8	38	21.1
Bond Pearce	14	67	20.9
Martineau	10	48	20.8
Ashfords	12	58	20.7
Ward Hadaway	11	54	20.4
HBJ	17	84	20.2
BLP	35	175	20.0
McGrigors	15	77	19.5
Freeth Cartwright	13	67	19.4
Cobbetts	18	93	19.4
Addleshaw	34	177	19.2
Salans	33	174	19.0
Slaughters	25	132	18.9
LG	16	86	18.6
SJ Berwin	31	167	18.6
Lovells	62	341	18.2
Finers Stephens Innocent	6	33	18.2
Hammonds	33	182	18.1
CMS	24	133	18.0
Norton Rose	44	246	17.9
Walker Morris	9	51	17.6
Anderson Strathern	8	46	17.4
Brodies	9	52	17.3
Mills & Reeve	14	82	17.1
Wragge & Co	19	113	16.8
Macfarlanes	12	72	16.7
TLT	12	72	16.7
Turcan Connell	3	18	16.7
FFW	19	115	16.5
Osborne Clarke	18	112	16.1
Ashurst	31	197	15.7
Brabners Chaffe	9	58	15.5
Clifford Chance	95	613	15.5
Stephenson Harwood	13	84	15.5
Gordons	6	39	15.4
Allen & Overy	71	474	15.0
Dickinson Dees	12	81	14.8
Links	77	528	14.6
Davies Arnold Cooper	10	70	14.3
Simmons	32	226	14.2
BLG	11	78	14.1
WFW	9	66	13.6
Herbert Smith	31	229	13.5
Speechly Bircham	8	62	12.9
Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer	53	422	12.6
Travers Smith	8	64	12.5
Burges Salmon	8	65	12.3
Taylor Wessing	32	267	12.0
Clydes	17	142	12.0
Bircham Dyson	6	51	11.8
Howes Percival	4	35	11.4
Holman Fenwick Willan	12	106	11.3
Ince & Co	9	82	11.0
Burness	4	40	10.0
Dickson Minto	1	17	5.9
TOTALS	2224.0	11387.0	19.4 (average)