Virgin Management group legal director Robert Blok has introduced gender targets for the law firms the company works with, in order to promote diversity at senior levels.

Blok has called for firms to ensure that at least one partner in their relationship teams is a woman, telling Law.com International's U.K. arm Legal Week that he wants the groups to be "more reflective of the gender balance in our own teams at Virgin Management".

"We're conscious of the poor female partner statistics in the industry", he added. "In relation to gender, we have seen some firms deal far better with flexible working than others".

Blok said that if a law firm cannot immediately comply with the new request, Virgin Management would "work with them to make it work":

"Bringing on board a partner in the relationship team can often be an iterative process as you need the relationship with the individuals to gel properly. So this just adds an additional dimension," he added.

Improving gender representation continues to be a priority for the in-house community. Most recently, Swiss pharmaceutical company Novartis stated that it will withhold 15% of billed time if its refreshed set of advisers do not comply with its diversity and inclusion requirements.

Elsewhere, GCs continue to focus on diversity when tendering for panel appointments, with Hannah Hullah, GC at John Lewis, telling Legal Week last year that "eyebrows would be raised if a law firm turned up to a pitch with a team of white middle-class men."

Mental health is also increasingly on the agenda for general counsel, with some keeping a closer eye on lawyers recording unsocial hours.

In-house lawyers are also looking at mental health when it comes to their panel firms.  Crown Estate general counsel Rob Booth told Legal Week last month that he "calls out" his panel firms if lawyers are recording unsocial hours.

Blok said: "We ask about billing targets and openly don't like them, but our ability to influence them is limited. It's problematic from a client's point of view, because it can drive people to a place where they work too hard."

"We've seen situations where pressures on lawyers have resulted in health issues", he added. "That's highly concerning, so as a client you need to be conscious of the effect your demands may have."

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