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International Edition

Freshfields in diversity drive across Germany and Austria offices

Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer has rolled out a raft of new flexible working initiatives across its German and Austrian offices, alongside a renewed diversity push in the region. The 'Smart Balance' scheme, which officially went live at the end of May this year, has been launched in a bid to address individual development, flexible working and diversity and inclusion across the firm's seven offices in the region.
2 minute read

International Edition

Linklaters publishes comprehensive workforce diversity statistics

Linklaters has become one of the first major UK law firms to publish comprehensive diversity data on its website, just days after the Legal Services Board (LSB) announced that it will make such reporting compulsory as of December 2012. The statistics show that 38% of Linklaters' UK partnership were privately educated - a proportion broadly replicated across the firm's associate and trainee ranks - while a further 39% of partners went to a state or grammar school. The remainder were internationally educated, with 7% opting not to disclose.
3 minute read

International Edition

Career Clinic: Has my career break made me less marketable?

"I qualified in 2008 from a large regional practice in the northwest. Since then I have had a career break of three years as I had a baby. I am now trying to secure an NQ position in employment law. "Agencies refuse to take on my CV (I think because of my career break they don't see me as very marketable). I am therefore applying to firms speculatively but getting nowhere.
1 minute read

International Edition

Ex-Bakers chair Lagarde becomes first-ever female IMF head

Former Baker & McKenzie chair Christine Lagarde has been named as the first female head of the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Lagarde, who will begin a five-year term as IMF managing director on 5 July, spent over 20 years at Bakers, and held the role of chair between 1999 and 2004, after which she was succeeded by John Conroy.
2 minute read

International Edition

Berrymans and Shoosmiths head up female-friendly partnership rankings

Bird & Bird has emerged as the UK top 20 law firm with the largest percentage of female partners, with Hogan Lovells topping the rankings within the top 10. Legal Week research into female representation at partner level across the 50 largest UK law firms by revenue shows that, with women making up just under 23% of its partnership as at 1 May 2011, Bird & Bird is the highest placed firm within the top 20, closely followed by Berwin Leighton Paisner and Pinsent Masons.
3 minute read

International Edition

Freshfields names new members to diversity committee

Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer has revamped its global diversity team, appointing new members to the firmwide committee dealing with diversity and inclusion and giving a further three partners responsibility for diversity issues in London. The firm has named internal communications head Kate Laffar as leader of its global diversity and inclusion team, with London corporate head Mark Rawlinson and intellectual property partner Avril Martindale also appointed to the team from the beginning of the month (1 June).
2 minute read

International Edition

Top of their game: senior female counsel talk about breaking through the glass ceiling

McKinsey's recent study, 'Women Matter 2010', finds that companies with more women on their executive committees have a stronger financial performance. This is the third time McKinsey has reached this conclusion, beginning with initial research in 2007 on gender diversity at the top of corporations. In reading the study, I thought about the heavily male-dominated partnership ranks and management of law firms. I decided to poll a few high-level female corporate counsel in Europe, all of whom began their careers in law firms. I invited four women who I know well, yet who had not met each other, to lunch. They are from a diverse cultural and corporate spectrum.
14 minute read

International Edition

All being equal - the impact of the Government's equality agenda on employment law

In December 2010, the Government published its equality strategy – Building a fairer Britain – which is founded on the principles of equal treatment and equal opportunity. Interestingly, the strategy envisages tackling all inequalities including those not currently protected by legislation, eg, class inequalities. To achieve this, the strategy recognises the need to move from legislation-based solutions and the strand-based approach, focusing instead on the individual.
10 minute read

International Edition

Freshfields appoints Amsterdam corporate man as new global people partner

Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer has appointed a new global people partner as incumbent Caroline Stroud steps down from the role. Amsterdam-based corporate partner Richard Norbruis is set to take up the position as of 1 May for a three-year term. Stroud will return to full-time fee earning in the employment practice. Norbruis is only the second person to hold the role at the firm after it was created in May 2008.
2 minute read

International Edition

Law Society report reveals partner promotions still fail to reflect rising tide of female lawyers

The latest annual statistical report from The Law Society has confirmed the extent to which law firms have so far failed to react to the increase in women in the profession, with the number of female solicitors nearly doubling over the last 10 years. The report - Trends in the Solicitors Profession - published earlier this month, showed that between 2000 and 2010 the number of women holding practising certificates rose by 80%, although the profession as a whole has grown by only 42%.
4 minute read

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