Hogan Lovells has set a ten-year target to improve its partner gender balance, aiming for a 25% female partnership by 2017 and 30% by 2022.

The transatlantic firm, which currently has 21% women partners, is aiming to reduce the deficit through its global diversity plan, with numerical goals set to measure its progress.

A separate target has also been set to increase the current proportion of 28% of women in management roles to 30% by 2015. The targets were brought in following an informal review of diversity strategy.

Hogan Lovells co-CEOs Warren Gorrell and David Harris (pictured) said in a statement: "[The firm] is committed to supporting the career progression of women in the workplace… but we recognise there is more to do and we wanted to commit ourselves to targets which will ensure the firm is a truly inclusive environment for the long term."

The legal profession has come under increased scrutiny in recent years to report diversity breakdowns and develop diversity initiatives to address the low numbers of women making partner.

The news follows a report published earlier this year by the Cranfield School of Management, which found women made up 15% of directors on top company boards, far below the 25% target set in a report published by Lord Davies last year.

A handful of law firms have subsequently begun to include quotas in their diversity strategies. In July, King & Wood Mallesons set a 30% female partner target for its Australia partnership. This followed announcements from Ashurst, which said last year that it wanted 25% of women in management positions by 2014, and Eversheds, which is aiming for 30% female board members by 2015.

Magic circle firm Clifford Chance is also aiming to reach a 30% female partnership, although this figure – described by the firm as an 'ambition' – is not benchmarked against a specific date.