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"This is outrageous!" says a New York headhunter who calls me to vent. "Why is it always the same old guard?" A week later, I hear from another industry insider: "It's impossible that there aren't enough women with the reputation and skill to be included."

They're referring to the Chambers and Partners ranking of U.S. lawyers. And surprise, surprise, women are woefully underrepresented on the list.

Widely regarded as the industry's gold standard directory, Chambers remains stubbornly white and male in its coveted lawyer rankings, particularly in the most elite practice sectors. The paucity of female names is another indication of how difficult it is for women to get recognition in Big Law.

In 2019, women made up only 13% of ranked lawyers in the New York M&A market, according to Chambers. Only one woman—Faiza Saeed of Cravath, Swaine & Moore—made it to band 1, the top rank. And there are no women in the "senior statespeople and eminent practitioners" category.

Women are also scarce in the general commercial litigation category, making up just over 7% of recognized litigators in the New York market. And none of those women was ranked higher than band 4 (out of five). In securities litigation, the percentage of women is stuck in the teens. (Even Sandra Goldstein, whom Kirkland & Ellis wooed from Cravath for a reported $11 million, is only in band 3.)

Chambers editor-in-chief Rieta Ghosh acknowledges the imbalance. She points to "institutional difficulties"—law firm politics and the preponderance of men among general counsel who advise Chambers—as key hurdles.

Women seem to be disadvantaged, starting with their own firms. "The process is competitive and firms can only submit a certain number of candidates," says a former Big Law marketing head. "I've found that men are the ones lobbying to get into Chambers."

Several women I spoke to seem remarkably uninformed about Chambers. One female partner says she doesn't know how lawyers get nominated, or if clients pay attention. Perhaps women should be concerned. "It can be very helpful to be listed; it counts as an additional credential," says the former marketing head. "If a client is trying to choose a lawyer in an unfamiliar jurisdiction, Chambers is a top source."

Women could use the bragging rights of a Chambers rating when pitching to clients or eyeing a lateral move. "Chambers' endorsement would be a meaningful boost for hundreds of women partners who deserve to be recognized as top-tier practitioners," says consultant Jason Costa.

Ghosh says Chambers is on the stick. It's hired a diversity inclusion chief (Dee Sekar) to oversee gender and diversity issues inside and outside of the company. And it mandates that analysts interview equal numbers of male and female partners. "We specifically reached out to female partners where male partners had been suggested to us by law firms," Ghosh says. "We also kept a record of those firms who attempted to circumvent this process."

Chambers has to cajole firms to keep women and minorities in mind. Ghosh says Chambers is "raising law firm diversity as a key issue in every one of the managing partner and heads of department meetings that we conduct."

Perhaps Chambers will be effective. "Chambers is an important voice in the market, so when Chambers gets this right, it is going to make a huge difference," Costa says.

Let's hope it has better leverage than the rest of us.

Contact Vivia Chen at [email protected] or @lawcareerist.