Top law firms are lining up to hire, promote more women

Firms have found that a sure way to ensure diversity at the top is hiring women to senior roles

- Priyanka Gawande

Some firms have introduced flexible policies to encourage more mothers to join. PTI

India’s top law firms are putting more women in partner and senior partner roles as they look to build ‘empathetic’ and ‘collaborative’ long-term relationships with their clients.

At some firms, women accounted for almost half the promotions to the role of partner and above over the past five years, industry watchers and insiders estimate.

“A significant shift is visibly underway,” said Fereshte Sethna, founder and managing partner of DMD Advocates, who has more than three decades of experience in the profession. “Even among litigators, we now see far more women in court than we did 20 or 30 years ago.”

A sure way of ensuring more diversity at the top is hiring and promoting women to senior roles, firms have found. For instance, 44 women lawyers joined law firm Trilegal’s all-equity partnership over the past five years, accounting for about 42% of all new partners who joined during this time.

An all-equity partnership is one where all partners hold an ownership stake, i.e. equity and directly share in the firm’s profits and losses. Unlike non-equity partners, these individuals often have a say in major decisions.