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Clifford Chance is set to implement a policy that will require its lawyers to recommend at least one female barrister for its clients to use on litigation and disputes mandates.

The firm's litigation and disputes global head Matthew Newick said the firm will introduce the "diverse slate" policy in a bid to increase the number of female barristers being instructed by top firms.

In an interview with Law.com's Legal Week, Newick said the firm began tracking its use of female barristers last year, based on their "gender, seniority and frequency of appointment". Following that, lawyers at the firm will have to recommend at least one female barrister to clients on a "comply or explain" basis.

"There is plenty of female talent at the Bar – we need to be more creative about finding that talent and deploying it for the benefit of our clients," he said.

"It's no secret that as well as diversity and inclusion being at the core of our firm and the right thing to do, it is also very important to our clients. Many of them have made this crystal clear, particularly when it comes to a preference for diverse barrister recommendations. Their calls align with our own firm values and are getting louder, so it's important that they are being heard," he added.

According to statistics from the Bar Standards Board, 37% of the practising barristers in the U.K. in 2018 were women.

Last year, Clifford Chance was the first firm to include partners in its gender pay gap report, going beyond the reporting requirements as it said it wanted to "accelerate change" in the legal profession.

The firm's latest promotions round was 33% female, and took the percentage of women in its global partnership to 20%.