Fewer female partners in corporate and finance law
Women still account for just a small minority of senior deal-making hires into British law firms, the Financial Times reports.
The newspaper reports that men made up 80% of partners hired into the higher-billing corporate and finance practices between 2019 and 2024, according to data from legal recruiter Edwards Gibson.
At most, women made up about a quarter of such hires and in 2021 accounted for as few as 11%, the newspaper reports.
Contrasting sectors
The small proportion of women as deal-making hires contrasts with the wider sector, where female partners have consistently made up about 29% of total hires each year since 2019, according to Edwards Gibson.
The recruitment firm said that hires in areas such as employment, pensions, and private-client work were closer to male-female parity.
Women made up 37% of legal partners in England and Wales in 2023 – an increase of five points on 2015, according to the most recent data from the Solicitors Regulation Authority.
However, areas such as finance and private equity, known for gruelling working hours, have fewer women partners.
In a report last month, legal recruiter Macrae found that only 15% of partner hires in private equity in London between 2020 and May 2025 were women.