Percentage of Female Law Associates in Decline - Building Gender Balanced Business

“Not only do women represent a decreasing percentage of lawyers in big firms, they have a far greater chance of occupying positions – like staff attorneys, counsel, and fixed-income equity partners – with diminished opportunity for advancement or participating in firm leadership.”

Based on the survey results, the report notes seven particularly significant trends.

1. The percentage of female lawyers who are non-equity partners and associates has actually declined for the first time since the first Survey in 2006.

2. Women are promoted to equity partnership (i.e. the ownership interest in their firms) at a far lower rate than men.

• Female lawyers make up only 15% of equity partners, a percentage that has changed little since the first Survey.

3. Female lawyers are more likely to hold positions (e.g. counsel, staff attorney) that rarely lead to becoming partner.

• Women occupy 55% of staff attorney positions
• Women hold 34% of counsel positions

4. Women are less likely than men to be credited as “rainmakers”.
Not receiving due credit for bringing in substantial business makes it more difficult for women to advance.

5. Women have little representation in the leadership ranks of their firms.

• 11% of firms have no women in leadership roles
• 35% of firms have just one woman on their highest governing committee
• Only 5% of firms have women serving as overall managing partner

6. At every stage, women lawyers continue to earn less than men.

• The biggest discrepancy is at the equity partner level
• Female equity partners earn 86% of the compensation earned by their male peers

7. Women have less success in terms of advancement and compensation in two tier and mixed-tier firms.

“We suspect that the relatively low percentage of equity partners explains the low representation in law firm leadership and until law firms figure out how to facilitate a greater number of women to equity partners, the leadership ranks will continue to under represent women.”

To read the full report on the Survey, click here.