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International Edition

UK partners welcome EU delay on female quotas for company boards

UK partners have welcomed a decision to postpone plans to impose an EU-wide quota dictating the number of women on company boards. EU Justice Commissioner Viviane Reding had been pushing for a vote to take place earlier this week (23 October) on a proposed law which would force companies to keep 40% of positions on their supervisory boards for women by 2020, however the delay means it will not now be discussed until 14 November.
3 minute read

International Edition

Hogan Lovells sets ten-year target to boost female partner numbers to 30%

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.
2 minute read

International Edition

Freshfields and Shearman target ethnic minority grads with recruitment deal

Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer and Shearman & Sterling are ramping up their diversity efforts by signing up to work with an agency that specialises in African Caribbean graduates. The firms have joined the client list of Rare Recruitment, which specialises in providing high-achieving African Caribbean graduates, as well as other ethnic minorities.
2 minute read

International Edition

In-house legal teams get on board PRIME diversity initiative

Yahoo!, Vodafone, Lloyds Banking Group and the Financial Times are among a number of big-name businesses signing up to social mobility scheme PRIME, as in-house legal teams get on board the much-touted diversity initiative.
4 minute read

International Edition

Linklaters launches new initiative to develop talented female lawyers

Linklaters has launched an initiative to develop the talents of its top female lawyers, in an effort to overcome the challenges of attracting and retaining female associates. The firm has teamed up with Cranfield School of Management for the pilot of the scheme - dubbed the Women's Leadership Programme - which will initially target its offices in London and continental Europe.
2 minute read

International Edition

A&O's Morley to chair new board for PRIME diversity initiative

Allen & Overy (A&O)senior partner David Morley has been appointed to chair a new board set up to oversee social mobility initiative PRIME as the scheme nears its one-year anniversary. A raft of senior names from the UK's largest law firms have been appointed to the new six-person board, with Addleshaw Goddard senior partner Monica Burch, CMS Cameron McKenna senior partner Dick Tyler, DLA Piper board member Janet Legrand and Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer corporate finance head Barry O'Brien all on the line-up alongside Morley. The final board member is educational charity The Sutton Trust's director of programmes and partnerships James Turner.
2 minute read

International Edition

Parental approval - good maternity policies don't seem to be enough

One thing is certain when the thorny issue of accommodating broody female lawyers comes up – UK law firms are not likely to be signing up to the Babies in the Office scheme, Addison Lee-style, any time soon. Whether it's flexible working or, as in the case of this week's research by Legal Week, maternity packages, it's an issue that City firms are still grappling with. In stark contrast to associate pay, which is disclosed openly by firms, lack of transparency with benefits like maternity pay means there are sizeable variations in the schemes on offer.
3 minute read

International Edition

Freshfields, CC and Linklaters lead City for best maternity packages

Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer and Clifford Chance (CC) have emerged as the top UK law firms with the most generous maternity packages, according to Legal Week research into the benefits on offer at the UK's 15 largest firms by revenue. Data provided by the firms about the packages offered to fee earners below partner level and support staff shows Freshfields has the best package, with the firm giving all staff employed for at least 18 months the equivalent of 29 weeks on full pay. This breaks down as 26 weeks full pay, followed by six weeks at 50%, with an additional seven weeks on statutory maternity pay (SMP) and 13 weeks unpaid.
4 minute read

International Edition

Family friendly - an in-depth look at the maternity policies of top UK law firms

Juggling motherhood and career progression has always been notoriously difficult in the legal profession, but with so many women leaving the profession, firms are being forced to face up to the issue. Kate Lofthouse investigates
7 minute read

Legal Week

Parental approval - good maternity policies don't seem to be enough

One thing is certain when the thorny issue of accommodating broody female lawyers comes up – UK law firms are not likely to be signing up to the Babies in the Office scheme, Addison Lee-style, any time soon. Whether it's flexible working or, as in the case of this week's research by Legal Week, maternity packages, it's an issue that City firms are still grappling with. In stark contrast to associate pay, which is disclosed openly by firms, lack of transparency with benefits like maternity pay means there are sizeable variations in the schemes on offer.
7 minute read

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