PARTNERSHIP 2008: Linklaters: A record-breaking year

Previous Partnership 2008 blogs.

Linklaters: A record-breaking year" /> Monday, April 21st, 2008, 14:55
Linklaters: A record-breaking year

A record-breaking year for female associates continued apace this week with promotions round at Linklaters - the last magic circle firm to unveil its new partners.

Despite the total number of promotions falling by a quarter, there was a two per cent increase in the number of women partners.

And in London, where three of seven new partners were women, this rose to a staggering 43 per cent.

The Lawyer spotted this trend back in March, calling 2008 potentially the best ever year for aspiring female associates - and that was before Slaughter and May appointed its first female head of corporate and announced that 75 per cent of its four new partners were women. Allen & Overy and Clifford Chance, who both failed to hit 15 per cent, take note.

Nemone Franks, who was Linklaters’ only IP promotion this year, says: “Life in the City can be incompatible with having a family, but there has been a lot of change in the last 10 to 15 years.

“Now there is more focus on equality as an issue so there is no outright discrimination but also no subliminal discrimination as well. It is certainly not something I’ve encountered in my career.”

Franks says she spends as much time as possible with friends and family and is also a keen runner - she can be seen jogging around Regent’s Park in her spare time.

Her promotion was good news for the Linklaters commercial IP practice. Before today only one IP associate had been made up within the magic circle, leading to fears the practice area was nearing saturation in a challenging market.

But Franks, who was a trainee at Linklaters and qualified in 2000, said: “IP, in terms of magic circle, does tend to be a smaller area of focus than corporate. The path to partnership is sometimes longer.”

At Linklaters there were seven corporate promotions, second only to finance & projects which was the largest area for the second consecutive year.

London, meanwhile, was losing its grip on the firm’s coffers. Twenty-one of 28 new partners are based outside the capital, with promotions in Moscow, Shanghai, Sau Paulo and Dubai.

Compared to the three proceeding years when 37 of 95 promotions were in London, this marks a significant shift in strategy for the firm.

Female associates: sunny
Finance and projects: blue skies
All the rest: showers likely

Previous Partnership 2008 blogs.

Berwin Leighton Paisner: unreal estate - Thursday, April 17th, 2008
Lovells turns its nose up at its own - Tuesday, April 14th, 2008
Hammonds: Brum, building, a baby and a barrister - Tuesday, April 14th, 2008
Bird & Bird promotions: only two birds - Monday, April 14th, 2008
Eversheds Paris: female partners multiplying - Monday, April 14th, 2008
Eversheds female promotions dwindle - Friday, April 11th, 2008
Slaughter and May: ladies, long hours and longevity - Thursday, April 10th
Russell Jones & Walker: More to the core - Tuesday, April 8th
A&O in the Middle East: one new partner, back-up on the way - Monday, April 7th
Clifford Chance: Popham puts his money where his mouth is - Monday, April 7th
Nabarro, Hunton & Hosseini - Friday, April 4th
Addleshaws: managing associates - Friday, April 4th
Nabarro promotions down (under) - Thursday, April 3rd
Hunton & Williams: The London eye - Thursday, April 3rd
The corporate partnership: Superwomen only? - Wednesday, April 2nd
Ashurst promotions: expectation management - Wednesday, April 2nd
Pinsents' Leeds' ladies take the lead - Monday, March 31st
Herbies...continued... - Thursday, March 27th
Herbies shakes things up - Thursday, March 27th
Macfarlanes predicts a good year - Thursday, March 26th
Burges Salmon talks the talk - Wednesday, March 26th
Trowers promotions dwindle - Tuesday, March 25th
Wragges' ups the firm's real estate profile - Thursday, March 20th
Olswang's year of change - Thursday, March 20th
Camerons goes East - Wednesday, March 19th
Ince & Co: happy days for men in boats - Tuesday, March 18th
Freshfields refills partnership - Monday, March 17th