Simmons ups its game on female partners
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Simmons & Simmons has implemented a raft of measures to address its poor standing on senior female representation.
Mark Dawkins
The firm, which has the lowest proportion of female partners among the largest City firms at just 12 per cent, wants 30 per cent of all promotions to partnership to be female in the next three years. It also wants 40 per cent of all those to managing associate level to be women to create a pipeline into the partnership.
To achieve this the firm is providing unconscious bias training, examining its policies and procedures to ensure they do not contain gender bias, providing mentoring and renewing its support for flexible working.
Earlier this year Simmons increased its minimum maternity package for London staff from 22 to 26 weeks’ full pay, bringing it into line with market rates.
Managing partner Mark Dawkins said: “We have a tolerant culture and maybe assumed that would be enough [to boost female partner numbers]. But because of the culture I’m confident numbers will improve relatively quickly.”
On 1 November The Lawyer revealed that Addleshaw Goddard had become the first firm to create targets for female and ethnic minority partners with a specific timeframe, at 25 per cent and 10 per cent respectively, by 2014. This followed Clifford Chance’s declared ambition of having 30 per cent female partners, but without a specific a deadline.
Readers' comments (5)
mary | 29-Nov-2010 3:53 pm
It's all very well for a firm, when finally faced with the reality of its shockingly poor record when it comes to diversity, to talk about 'examining' this or 'renewing support' for that. The story that The Lawyer should look at is whether these vague promises result in any material change.
I'm sceptical, but hope I'm proved wrong
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Rebecca Cockburn - Exclusive Human Resources | 29-Nov-2010 4:04 pm
A positive move but will flexible working and family friendly hours become part of the working environment?
Or will women still be penalised for daring to have a career and raise a family?
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Anonymous | 29-Nov-2010 4:18 pm
wasn't Simmons the first City firm to have a female Senior Partner?
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Anonymous | 30-Nov-2010 7:30 am
Again, Simmons plays the PR charm offensive to hide the fact that its H1 financials have been poor. As a client faced with a breach of contract, IP infringement, among an array of other corporate litigations worth millions (sometimes billions), I wouldn't care about the race, age, sexual orientation, religious beliefs or gender of my legal counsel. All I'm concerned about is its performance and how I can come out of such difficulties with minimal legal/financial/reputation risk as possible, given the hefty billings I would need to handover. Simmons should focus more on performance than crisis management and maybe then, it will attract more clientele.
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Anonymous | 30-Nov-2010 1:26 pm
This is the firm who announced in July the appointment of 8 male partners - no women!
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