CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The number of women equity partners has only marginally increased over more than a decade, according to the latest study by the National Association of Women Lawyers® (NAWL). Published in the Report of the 2017 NAWL Survey on Promotion and Retention of Women in Law Firms, this year’s survey found that, over the last 10 years, the number of women in equity partner positions in law firms has increased only slightly, while there has been some improvement in other areas, such as representation on governance committees.
In 2016, NAWL issued the One-Third by 2020 Challenge, renewing the call for the legal profession to increase its representation of women to at least one-third among Fortune 1000 general counsels, new law firm equity partners, law firm lateral hires and law school deans. The One-Third by 2020 Challenge also calls for an increase of at least one-third in the number of diverse women attorneys, including LGBTQ and women of color, in every segment of the legal profession. NAWL issued its first Challenge in 2006, which included a goal to increase the proportion of women equity partners in law firms to at least 30 percent. The 2016 One-Third by 2020 Challenge was issued on the ten-year anniversary of that original NAWL Challenge, demonstrating NAWL’s continued commitment to increasing the representation of women and the diversity of the legal profession.
For over a decade, NAWL has tracked the professional progress of women in the nation’s 200 largest law firms by providing a comparative view of the careers and compensation of men and women lawyers at all levels of private practice, as well as by analyzing data about the factors that influence career progression. This year’s results are similar to what was reported at the start of the NAWL Challenge over a decade ago. According to this year’s report, women comprise 19 percent of equity partners, up only one percent from the last survey done in 2015. Despite this insignificant change, the survey found gains in firm governance committee participation, seeing it nearly double to 25 percent in the past 10 years. In addition, the survey asked about incoming equity partner classes for the first time and found they were on average 33 percent women.
“NAWL issued the Challenge not only to keep alive the conversation about the under-representation of women in the legal profession but also to hopefully ignite the change in the industry that’s necessary to make real progress,” said NAWL President Angela Beranek Brandt. “While this year’s survey revealed small steps in the right direction, the overall lack of progress continues to be discouraging. Nevertheless, we remain committed to highlighting these issues, sharing best practices for inclusion and being the voice for women lawyers.”
For the complete report, please visit www.nawl.org/2017Survey. Some of the survey’s key findings include:
- The likelihood that women will become equity partners remains largely unchanged over the last 10 years, with the data reflecting an increase from 16 percent in 2007 to 19 percent in 2017.
- Despite being hired as entry-level associates in roughly equal numbers as men, women remain the minority of both equity (19 percent) and non-equity partners (30 percent).
- Among equity partners, women work as many hours as men, but their client billings are only 92 percent of those of men.
- Men continue to dominate the top earner spots, with 97 percent of firms reporting their top earner is a man, and nearly 70 percent of firms have one or no women in their top 10 earners.
- Women make up 25 percent of firm governance roles, such as serving on the highest governance committee, the compensation committee, or as a managing or practice group partner/leader, which has nearly doubled in the last decade.
- Firms with newer Women’s Initiatives had lower percentages of women equity partners (12 percent compared to the 18-19 percent for firms with established to mature initiatives).
- The median woman equity partner earns 94 percent of what the median male equity partner makes in firms with more established Women’s Initiatives, compared to only 82 percent in the handful of firms reporting relatively new initiatives.
- People of color, women of color, LGBTQ and persons with disabilities fare worse across all positions. People of color make up about 6 percent of equity partners, and only two percent of equity partners are women of color. Openly LGBTQ attorneys represent only 2 percent of equity partners, and persons with disabilities represent less than 1 percent.
Survey Methodology
The NAWL survey was sent in the Spring of 2017 to the AmLaw 200. Of the 200 firms contacted, 90 completed all or significant portions of the survey.
About the National Association of Women Lawyers
The mission of the National Association of Women Lawyers is to provide leadership, a collective voice and essential resources to advance women in the legal profession and advocate for the equality of women under the law. Since 1899, NAWL has been empowering women in the legal profession, cultivating a diverse membership dedicated to equality, mutual support, and collective success. NAWL’s membership is comprised of individual attorneys, including private practice, corporate, academic, government and non-profit attorneys, and groups, including law firms, corporate legal departments, law schools and bar associations. For more than a century, NAWL has been the leading voice on issues relating to the advancement of women in the legal profession. Learn more at www.nawl.org.