From the Brits comes--um--good news, I guess. Via Legalweek.com comes an article that discusses a minor increase in women partners, excerpts of which appear below:
UK law firms have moved to open up their partnerships to female lawyers during the last year, according to the latest annual statistical report by the Law Society.
The report found the total number of female partners in England and Wales increased by nearly 30% over the 12-month period ending 31 July, 2007. Female lawyers now make up 23.5% of all private practice partners, with the number of women partners hitting 7,420 - up from 5,727 female partners in England and Wales the previous year.
The survey findings represent a marked change on last year, when the results showed a decline in the number of female partners.
However, despite the increase, men still dominate law firm partnerships. Not only do they make up 76.5% of law firm partners, but almost half of all male lawyers are partners - in contrast with only 22% of women.
The discrepancy comes despite the fact that women make up more than 43% of all solicitors with practising certificates. That figure looks set to increase in the future, with women last year making up 61.5% of all registered trainees.
(T)he increase in female partners reflected the efforts firms have been making to improve work-life balance for lawyers and encourage flexible working, therefore making it easier for women with families to become partners...
Commenting on the findings, Howard Morris, chief executive at Denton Wilde Sapte, said: “In the City it is harder to make partner, but it is a strong market. Partnership is not [necessarily] the goal. We have people who are partner candidates but do not want the job because of life goals.”
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