As the issue of gender imbalance in the workplace continues to create headlines, one law firm is bucking the trend.
Trethowans has revealed new figures showing how it’s surpassing the industry average when it comes to gender balance in the boardroom and beyond.
The firm, which has offices in Salisbury, Southampton, Bournemouth, Winchester and Poole, has 40 per cent female representation on its board and 34 per cent of its partners are women, more than the national average of 28 per cent*.
The company is also ahead of the curve when it comes to the number of female lawyers it employs. According to figures from the SRA (Solicitors Regulation Authority), women make up 48 per cent of all lawyers in law firms**. By comparison, 77 per cent of Trethowans’ lawyers are female.
Managing partner Chris Whiteley says it’s another example of how Trethowans is pushing the agenda for gender equality. “With gender pay gap reporting coming into effect in the last year, the subject of diversity has been thrust even further under the spotlight. We very much believe it is important to have gender diversity through every level of the business and we’re proud that our statistics buck the national trend.”
Emma Wilders-Pratt, a partner in the firm and Trethowans board member, added: “The legal industry has come a long way and I think it has sped up even more over the last three years. Now, for the first time there are more female solicitors in the UK than male solicitors. The legal profession should be leading by example when it comes to gender diversity and I’m proud to work for a firm that practices what it preaches.”
Trethowans’ figures come as calls have been made from one of England’s most senior judges to get more women in the boardroom.
Lady Justice Rafferty, a Court of Appeal judge, warned the Royal Society Diversity Conference this month that the number of female partners in solicitors’ firms remains stubbornly low.
She said: “It is one thing to ensure that entry to a profession is open to everyone, to encourage diversity. It is another to maintain it as the ladder is ascended. That retention is one of the great difficulties the legal profession still has.”
Trethowans’ statement also comes as UK companies have been rebuked over a lack of senior women appointments this week. Five British companies have failed to appoint a single woman to their boards more than two years after the government ordered the UK’s 350 biggest firms to ensure that women hold at least a third of boardroom positions by 2020.
A further 75 FTSE 350 companies were highlighted by the Hampton-Alexander review for appointing only one woman to their boards.
Trethowans employs over 200 people and has 41 partners across its offices in Bournemouth, Poole, Salisbury, Southampton, Winchester and its base in London.
To find out more about Trethowans visit www.trethowans.com.
*Law Society article on women, leadership and the law: https://www.lawsociety.org.uk/communities/the-city/articles/women-leadership-and-the-law/
**SRA How Diverse Are Law Firms? http://www.sra.org.uk/solicitors/diversity-toolkit/diverse-law-firms.page