Ever expanding US heavyweight Latham & Watkins has added two to its City office in a global round of 27 but its push for gender diversity has dropped significantly.
Corporates sign up to female equality in arbitration pledge launched by Boies Schiller and Freshfields partners
Energy giants BP, ConocoPhillips and Shell are among the first corporates to sign up to a pledge for gender equality when selecting arbitrators launched by senior partners at Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer and Boies, Schiller & Flexner.
Comment: Fieldfisher’s Chissick on why real change on diversity needs leadership in law
‘Did you see the game at the weekend?’ is the type of question I am often asked at events. I know my answer, ‘no, I don’t really follow sport’ – will kill the conversation dead, and I don’t have the skills or required knowledge to blag my way through the small talk of the weekend’s fixture list.
Clyde & Co makes up 16 partners in half-female promotion round
Clyde & Co has announced a record number of promotions, adding 16 new partners, half of whom are women.
Continue reading “Clyde & Co makes up 16 partners in half-female promotion round”
1COR tops QC appointments table as female applicants remain ‘stubbornly low’
One Crown Office Row (1COR) saw six of its barristers take silk in this year’s round of Queen’s Counsel (QC) appointments, as those selecting new QCs remain concerned at the low level of female applicants.
With this year’s 107 appointments marking a rise on last year’s round of 93, notable appointees included 1COR junior Marina Wheeler, the wife of Boris Johnson; Wilberforce Chambers barrister Tim Penny, a former member of the dissolved set 11 Stone Buildings; and 39 Essex Chambers’ Justine Thornton, the wife of former Labour leader Ed Miliband.
Continue reading “1COR tops QC appointments table as female applicants remain ‘stubbornly low’”
Bar Council finds gender parity for barristers ‘unlikely to ever be achieved’ on current trends
The Bar Council has published two reports into gender diversity at the Bar highlighting challenges facing female barristers and finding that on current trends gender parity in Queen’s Counsel (QCs) ranks will not be reached in ‘the foreseeable future’.
News in brief – May 2015
WHITTAKER STEPS DOWN AS LLOYDS GC
Group general counsel (GC) Andrew Whittaker is stepping down from his role at Lloyds Banking Group with deputy GC Kate Cheetham set to replace him. Whittaker joined the bank in May 2013 after having served as the legal head of the Financial Services Authority. The bank also saw the departure of disputes chief Philippa Simmons last month and began a redundancy consultation looking at cutting up to 25 mid-level positions.
Partner promotions: Olswang makes up five in an expanded all-female round
Olswang has continued the trend of firms improving their partnerships’ gender diversity by promoting a five-strong all-female round after promoting only men in the previous two years.
Continue reading “Partner promotions: Olswang makes up five in an expanded all-female round”
Gender diversity improves as law firms make bumper partner promotions
The annual round of partner promotions at City firms looked a lot more international this year as Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, Slaughter and May, Addleshaw Goddard, Mishcon de Reya and Pinsent Masons announced who made the grade, while there were also signs the profession is improving its gender diversity record.
Slaughter and May, which last year made up its highest number of international promotions as it elected three Hong Kong associates to partner, made up four partners as part of its London round. With law firms under pressure and pushing to improve gender diversity, this latest round puts the firm in good stead to achieve a more balanced partnership in the years to come, with two of those made up being women. Last year three out of seven London promotions were female.
Continue reading “Gender diversity improves as law firms make bumper partner promotions”
Partner promotions: Ashurst 20-strong round includes 45% females while Macfarlanes reduces round to five
Ashurst has this morning (8 April) announced its 20-strong partner promotion round, which will take effect from 1 May 2015, with 45% of the new partners female while Macfarlanes reduced round of five comprises 40% women.