A small number of firms buoy the average female equity partner percentage. Credit: Shutterstock

Ropes & Gray, Withers, and Irwin Mitchell are the firms with the highest proportion of female partners, according to a Law.com International diversity survey that shows women make up on average one in four partners at top firms in the U.K.

Data from 51 of the largest firms found the trio topped the rankings for U.K. female partners overall, and also took three of the top four spots — along with Boies Schiller Flexner — when looking solely at equity partners.

No Magic Circle firms made it into the top 25 for total partner numbers. At 11 of the 51 firms less than one in five partners were women.

Commenting on the numbers Irwin Mitchell's London head, Alison Eddy, said: "The industry needs to be more reflective of the communities in which it works. Many of our clients still see law firms as being middle class white men or people, we all need to work hard to challenge that. It's really important to provide women, and other minorities at law firms, with leadership training, to celebrate their success and help them build confidence to take on bigger challenges and roles. For benign reasons, many women in law aren't given challenging roles and opportunities to shine."

Equity Partners

On average, across the 32 firms that provided numbers, women comprised 23% of equity partners, but the figure is buoyed by the top few firms. Women made up more than a quarter of equity partners at only nine firms. The overall number is also likely to be lower as several firms would not reveal their figures.

The female equity partner rankings are significant as many firms have improved the diversity within their wider partnerships but failed to promote women to the most senior rank.

Ropes & Gray's co-head of the global finance practice, Jane Rogers, said the firm was "really proud" to be one of the U.K.'s most gender diverse firms. "

We all need to recognise that there's still work to do with diversity and inclusion more broadly, and we need to double down on our efforts", she said. " I think sometimes it's really hard for women to picture themselves in those leadership roles and imagine their own paths for success. I think mentors, both male and female, are a key part of helping other women thrive and succeed."

Allen & Overy, Clifford Chance, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer and Linklaters did not disclose their equity partnership gender split, along with 15 other firms. These included: Latham & Watkins, Hogan Lovells, Norton Rose Fulbright, Eversheds Sutherland, Ashurst, Herbert Smith Freehills, Mayer Brown, Weil Gotshal & Manges, and Macfarlanes.

Some firms, including White & Case and BCLP, said they did not differentiate between equity and non-equity partners in their reporting.

Other firms refused to take part in the survey altogether or did not respond to requests. These included Kirkland & Ellis, Dentons, Jones Day and Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan.

Commenting on the numbers Justine Markovitz, chair of Withers, said it was "gratifying" to see the firm's efforts reflected in the ranking.

"Things have changed a lot for the better for women in the legal industry, but I think there's a long way to go, for some firms more than others, and I think it all starts before recruitment.

"It's important to have an outreach for people of all backgrounds wanting to join the industry so that they know they can succeed regardless of their gender and do very well. You need to be aware not only of who you're hiring but of who's conducting the recruitment process so that unconscious bias doesn't creep in from the onset.

She said: "In other firms I was at in the past women were not allowed to wear trousers – you had to wear a skirt. I went from that to having role models when I joined the firm as a junior associate, which made me feel like it was perfectly possible to succeed in my career as a woman."

She added that inappropriate behavior needs to be "discussed and dealt with" so that it doesn't become part of the culture of a firm.

The new rankings may help general counsel set up new guidelines based on diversity targets when renewing their panels. In recent months, several companies took into account a range of diversity and inclusion criteria for panel firms.

Virgin Management has introduced gender targets for its panel firms, while 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.

At some firms some partners did not identify as male or female.

Read More:

The COVID-19 Lockdown Is a Game Changer for Women in Law

Mental Health and Gender Inequality Worries Affecting Women in Lockdown, First 100 Years Finds

What Law Firms (And Men) Can Do to Improve Gender Diversity, According to Top Female Lawyers