"If real change is going to be accelerated, you need men on board. The legal profession highlights this: I qualified in 1989, and in my first year as a trainee, half of those lawyers were women. Twenty-nine years later, we still have issues with gender equality. The lion's share of those 29 years have been in the control of men. They are not creating change fast enough."

These words are spoken not by a woman, but by a man – Ashurst London managing partner Simon Beddow – but they highlight the problem women face in law and many other careers.

Much attention has been focused on the lack of female role models in law and the role they can play in improving the situation for women, but the fact remains: it's going to take the backing of men to help women make real progress.

So, despite negative headlines like Baker McKenzie's sexual assault scandal through to our revelation that two thirds of female lawyers had experienced sexual harassment at work, Legal Week has opted to focus this year's feature for International Women's Day on the role male lawyers need to play in supporting and retaining talented women in law.

As part of our research we have interviewed numerous female lawyers, from trainee to partner level, across a host of top 20 UK law firms about their experiences. The interviews, which will be published over several days from today onwards, highlight how the backing of senior men has been every bit as important as that from women in guiding them through their careers.

Men who have daughters or wives who work are more naturally engaged because they see it from that perspective

However, as Linda Jones, Pinsent Masons employment head and founder of the firm's diversity scheme, Sky, points out, "there is a difference between men falling in line and becoming actively engaged". She says: "That's the more challenging part. Men who have daughters or wives who work are more naturally engaged because they see it from that perspective. If they haven't got that, it can be more of a struggle."

One firm taking a particularly direct approach to engaging its men in this area is Linklaters. The firm has invited each of its male lawyers and staff globally to outline a practical action to commit to. The initiative, which supports the United Nations' HeForShe movement, has been launched for International Women's Day.

Global head of finance and projects Michael Kent, for example, has committed to launching a new mentoring scheme in his practice in London. While the firm already has programmes in place for managing associates and associates with more than four years' post-qualification experience (PQE), this will target more junior City finance and projects associates, with between one to four years' PQE.

Kent, who is one of the firm's diversity and inclusion partners and sits on the executive committee, says: "The practical actions we are asking men to commit to are open-ended – there is no deadline, but we'll be following up with them. Our main aim is to get people thinking about the practical things they could do. For International Women's Day, we will have a whole range of activities focusing on HeForShe, including sharing everyone's commitments on our intranet as a way of helping others to think about what action they might take."

Elsewhere, Hong Kong disputes partner Gavin Lewis is offering female colleagues "extra support to build client relationships or develop business opportunities", while City capital markets partner Neil Dixon has committed to being a career mentor for one or more of his female colleagues.

To get real change you have to engage the whole firm behind diversity

At Eversheds Sutherland, which is set to announce new gender targets as part of its plans for International Women's Day, co-chief executive Lee Ranson is "unashamedly" encouraging men to join its relaunched gender network.

He adds: "To get real change, you have to engage the whole firm behind diversity. It would be inconceivable for the gender aims to be met without the whole firm behind them. Why is it everyone's responsibility? Firstly it's the right thing to do, but beyond that, the business case means you should do it too, so everyone should be engaged and committed to it. Men should be as interested in it as women."

Other firms have taken different approaches to making men more aware of the challenges women may face. Sometimes that includes management intervention to actually take away work from men, or 'favoured sons', and hand it over to women.

Hogan Lovells UK and Africa managing partner Susan Bright comments: "What men can do is really consciously think about who they're going to have on the pitch team, who is on the client relationship team, and who they're going to give a challenging piece of work to."

At both Ashurst and Weil Gotshal & Manges, senior partners say that shaking up their approach to work allocation is playing a vital role.

For some men, that may mean deals they used to get, they are not going to get anymore

As Beddow remarks: "We make sure the allocation of work takes place based on objective criteria. It works by phoning up a work allocation officer, telling them what the deal is and what you need. They don't just check which people are available, they also consider if there is somebody who ought to be doing this who is otherwise occupied on something else.

"For some men, that may mean that deals they used to get, they are not going to get anymore. That means if you are a favoured son, the exclusive male associate working on all the deals, you aren't going to be anymore. We expect everyone to support that and we have had positive feedback from the men."

Weil London managing partner Mike Francies says his firm is doing something similar. "We are also spending more time looking at work allocation and making sure senior women are involved so female associates feel they get their fair share," he comments.

At firms including Allen & Overy (A&O), reverse mentoring is helping senior male partners understand what it is really like for a more junior female lawyer trying to juggle a career alongside children.

A&O senior partner Wim Dejonghe, who is currently being mentored by City banking counsel Catherine Lang-Anderson, comments: "It's very helpful for me to really understand the challenges facing a young female lawyer with two kids, working part-time in London. I've been there, but it was more than 20 years ago; I was a father, not a mother; and I was in Belgium, not London. Catherine's perspective guides the decisions we are making about our approach to diversity and initiatives that can have real impact."

It's helpful for me to understand the challenges facing a young female lawyer with two kids, working part-time in London

Beddow also speaks highly of having a female mentor, a London trainee who is now qualified. "She gives me feedback and gives me ideas on what I could do better. We talk through things once a month and I get her advice. I must have been a pretty terrifying person to be landed with, but she has been brilliant."

Francies suggests formalised mentoring arrangements are even more important for women, given that senior men often tend to network more with their junior male colleagues naturally. "We want men to be championing women," he says, adding: "We need men to feel involved. I have found that a lot of the time, what helps male partners and associates progress is more unofficial and informal networking. That doesn't happen so much with women, so we are trying to make it more formal."

Several, now senior, female partners say they have directly benefited from the support of a male mentor.

As Bright recalls: "When I first joined legacy Lovells I shared a room with John Davidson, who was a senior associate at the time. He gave me lots of opportunities and there was never any suggestion that because I was a woman there was a difference in what I could do. I would regard him as one of my first sponsors – though I wouldn't have known that word then. Our former senior partner John Young also put opportunities my way or stepped in and really encouraged me at various stages of my career."

Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer TMT partner Natasha Good adds: "Former senior partner Will Lawes and [former M&A partner] Barry O'Brien were instrumental in my becoming a partner. They were creative enough to recognise that my experience, which was unusually sector-focused on tech and telecoms, could bring a different perspective to the partnership and actively supported me and encouraged me to pursue it.

"More recently, I can attribute much of my development and progression as a partner to a small handful of partners I have worked closely with, for example [City M&A partner] Bruce Embley. I think largely they were helpful in recognising where I could add value in a client relationship and creating a platform for me to do that."

The impact that more junior women partners can make to both firms is certainly not lost on the men mentoring them.

Travers Smith senior partner Chris Hale points to three female senior associates at the firm whose progress he is particularly proud of: Maddie Gowlett in tax, Genna Marten in private equity and Stephanie Lee in disputes. "Steph Lee has been a leader in promoting pro bono activities across the firm, while Maddie Gowlett and Genna Marten are particularly good business developers and demonstrate that female lawyers can do it just as effectively as men.

"I like to think we have supported all three of them during their time at the firm, all having trained here."

Beddow adds: "I am particularly pleased about my London corporate partner Karen Davies, who joined us as a senior associate back in 2012. I was one of the people who interviewed her, and I hope I have been supportive of her. To see her become a partner and get elected to our board, and see the deals she is doing and public recognition she is getting, that is all fabulous stuff."

It helps hugely when men stand up and make it clear that gender diversity is good for business

The fact that firms – and the male partners working within them – recognise that having more women in senior roles is increasingly a business imperative, is also helping the cause.

As Bright comments: "It helps hugely when men stand up and make it clear that gender diversity is good for business. It's a business issue and everyone needs to work together."

Ranson agrees, explaining that, in addition to the skills that women bring, clients are increasingly challenging firms to make progress, putting them under growing pressure to meet gender diversity targets.

"I think it's much higher up the agenda than it ever has been; we talk about it a lot and there's real responsibility around that table in a way that I haven't seen before," he says.

Beddow concludes: "There's a waste of talent if we can't retain women in our law firms. I think all men have a role to play. It is not just a question of rights and equality; it is also really poor business."

 

We also asked female lawyers what else they would like firms to do to improve gender equality. Here are some of their responses: 

  • Ruth Cowley, disputes partner, Norton Rose Fulbright:

Improving gender equality is a business imperative, and we're fortunate at Norton Rose Fulbright that gender equality is part of the firm culture. Law firms should continue to look to industries outside of the legal sector for more creative solutions and ideas to develop greater diversity including gender balance.  

  • Emma Danks, partner and head of the UK private equity team, Taylor Wessing 

Keep the conversations going. It's important to make sure that men are involved in those conversations too and recognise the benefit of gender equality and diversity in general.

  • Paula Hodges QC, partner and global head of international arbitration, Herbert Smith Freehills

Set targets for female partners and continually assess the progression of female lawyers from the moment they join the firm at every level (eg relentlessly trying to ensure female candidates are considered for all roles).

  •  Liz Jenkins, international projects & construction partner, Clyde & Co 

There needs to be more senior women helping to shape and change the culture, so that different values are appreciated and rewarded. Law firms need to become more appealing places for women to stay in their careers.   

  •  Sarah Pollock, corporate/energy partner, Herbert Smith Freehills

We are now operating in a societal context where many households are dual income, where both men and women want to have successful careers, whilst achieving some balance and flexibility with other aspects of their lives, whether that relates to children or not.  Firms should, therefore, be listening to their team members (irrespective of gender) and being creative as to how to accommodate individuals' arrangements where possible, without prejudicing client service and profitability. 

  • Vicky Wickremeratne, employment partner, Simmons & Simmons

I would like law firms to look again at the ways in which they measure individual contribution: the billable hours metric is an unsophisticated tool 

  • Helen Corden, employment partner, Pinsent Masons

More transparency around how to progress to the next level, including partnership, and the expectations at that level and support in confidence building for those thinking about progressing.

  • Heidi Watson, employment partner, Clyde & Co 

I would like to see firms encouraging employees of both genders to take time out to care for children, so that maternity absence becomes less of a gender issue.  The next generation of lawyers of both genders want to play a greater part in their children's care than the previous generations

  • Sarah King, energy partner, CMS

 In 2018 our theme is the Power of Allies. No longer will we sit in the same room with the same people talking about the same issues. We are broadening the debate, sharing understanding and focusing on being truly inclusive. I would encourage all law firms to do the same.

  • Samantha Holland, disputes partner, Gowling

I still think there are some pockets of the law where the culture is that fee-earners must be in the office and working at their desk late into the evening. Women shouldn't have to feel that that the choice between having a career and having children should be diametrically opposed. I would like to see there being more flexibility around working patterns and home-working across the board with more respect for work/life balance.

  • Vera Lima, capital markets managing associate, Linklaters

There is a lot of work to do in law firms in order to achieve a balance between the flexibility required to accommodate workforce diversity and the full availability we must offer our clients in order to stay competitive in today's market. 

  • Megan Castellano, capital markets senior associate, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer

One initiative that I'm proud to have worked on with Freshfields' management is the changing of 'Dear Sirs' as a salutation to more gender inclusive 'Dear Sir or Madam'. It's incremental changes such as this that I think go a long way to ensuring the workplace is somewhere anyone can thrive.

  • Emma Rachmaninov, financial services senior associate, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer

We can do more to enhance communication with junior female lawyers, with an open dialogue around the support the firm can provide them to progress their career longer term.  We are all trying to do the right things to hire and retain women but the way we articulate that as a profession could be improved.

  • Caroline Turner-Inskip, real estate managing associate, Simmons & Simmons

Most of us reach the turning point in our career, just as we enter our early/mid 30s and when having children for many becomes a priority. I want to see women starting maternity leave going off believing that their careers are not over

  • Sarah McQuillan, trainee solicitor, Hogan Lovells

It's important for trainees to have exposure to females in senior leadership roles, but also to hear both male and female senior staff discussing honestly the practicalities of managing work/life balance and family life, as this is not a female-exclusive issue. 

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