gender issues in the profession – global trends, glass ceilings and future work patterns

Merete Smith

Windhoek, October 3, 2008

Gender Issues in the Profession –Global Trends, Glass Ceilings and Future Work Patterns


•Women were allowed into the profession in 1904 in Norway

•The day after Mrs. Elise Sem established office in Oslo

•France 1900, Netherlands 1903, Denmark 1906, most other European countries 1920


1912


Typical lawyer from

the beginning of last century


Today: Share of women lawyers in the Bars (2006)

• Austria: 17 %

• Switzerland: 19 %

• Sweden: 20%

• Norway: 22 %

• Finland: 24 %

• Denmark: 25 %

• Germany: 29 %

• Poland: 30 %

• Spain: 37 %

• Italy: 40 %

• France: 48 %

• Latvia: 49 %

• Bulgaria: 52 %

Global Trend: Exodus of Female Talent


Statistics of today• UK:

Solicitors:– Women trainees 59 %– Women admission 59 %– Women partners 23 %Barristers:- Called to the Bar: Women 49 %- Employed Bar: Women 46 %- Self employed Bar: Women 31 %


More statisticsUS:

– Law school: 50 % women– New attorneys: approx 50 % women– 42% of women leave mid-career, – Equity partners: 16 %, – Less than 8 % women in top

management– 15 % of the seats of governing

committees– Increase of women reaching partnership

only 3 % the last decade.


More statistics• Norway:

– Associates 48 %– Women partners 12 %

• Research 2008: Interviews with women who left the large firms


Typical male attorney ?


Typical male attorney?


Typical female attorney?


• It’s pretty much one of the worst, if not the worst” profession for the advancement of women, Carol Evans, president of Working Mother Media.


"Firms in the past have been saying all the right things, of course; the execution of this is much more difficult," Jerry Clements, one of the few women in the US to lead a major

firm, Locke Lord Bissell & Liddell


Glass ceiling – How to make woman layers partners• Simple strategies can help law firms help close

the gap between the number of women and men who are advancing into partnership ranks.

• Make it worthwhile financially for senior partners to promote diversity;

• Encourage men to mentor women;

• Keep a close eye on how attorneys are credited for their business development efforts,

• Firms should also establish benchmarks, and monitor their success in reaching specific goals.


Measures to be taken

• Ensure a broadened selection of Firm leaders– Publish the criteria for advancement to

equity partner– Refine evaluation system at all level s to

reflect criteria for leadership– Appoint a diverse nomination committee– Make sure firm leaders oversee the

process and hold partners accountable


Leadership cont.• Sustain and nurture existing women

partners

– Require formal succession planning– Offer leadership and development

training– Ensure equitable compensation– Collect data through exit interviews


SuccessionIncentivizing senior partners to:• Assign high-profile matters to women, • Pass along important clients to them in

succession situations • Share credit with them for successes. • To the extent that senior attorneys take

such actions, they should be recognized for it in annual evaluations and rewarded with additional compensation.


• ”The single most important thing is that leaders at the top of law firms endorse these practices" English, an attorney at Post, Polak, Goodsell, MacNeill & Strauchler in Roseland, N.J.


Measures – Business development • Facilitate fair credit attribution• Address legacy systems • Measure access to key opportunities (no.

Of women on pitch teams, on high profile representation teams, and important firm presentations)

• Hold partners accountable• Measure progress• Establish a powerful oversight

committee


Measures – Compensation• Align compensation criteria to reflect

and reward those partner behaviours that promote the advancement and retention of women in the firm

• Publish compensation criteria

• Train women to be effective self-promoters.


More measures• Correct for hidden bias and stereotypes

• Promote meaningful mentoring

• Encourage development of professional network

• Promote flex-time program that are not a stigma for those who use it. (Billable hours or home for dinner?)


Measures for the Bar Association• Nominate Best Women Law Firm

– Criteria: • Flexible hours• Hosting network groups• Mentoring Program• Management training

• Make a Tool Kit for the faw firms

• Dialogue with the law firms


• Law firms who want more women, Aric Press suggests, should make an offer of non-equity partnership to those they value, along the following lines:

• "You want to play in the regular tournament? Fine, stick around, and we'll vet you the old-fashioned way. But if you don't, we want you to stay anyway. ... Full-time or part-time work. A slight raise if we can afford it. A decent bonus at the end of the year. We'll commit to seven years. And then we'll see what happens."


Our goal:

A happy female attorney !

gender issues in the profession – global trends, glass ceilings and future work patterns

Documents

large firms windhoek

women partners

advancement of women

women trainees

women admission

number of women

share of women lawyers

equity partners