82 Law Firms Recognized for “Tipping the Scales” Towards Gender Parity in Their 2024 New Partner Classes
Report Reveals 41.6% of 2024 New Law Firm Partners Were Women
Washington, DC (October 29, 2024) – Today, the Diversity & Flexibility Alliance released the results of its 2024 New Partner Report, a compilation of public data related to the gender breakdown of attorneys promoted to partner at law firms. Last week, the eighty-two law firms that had 50% or more women in their 2024 new partner class, globally and/or U.S.-based, were recognized as “Tipping the Scales” and honored at the Alliance’s annual conference.
The Report revealed that 41.6 percent of U.S.-based new partners from 196 major law firms in 2024 were women, representing a decrease of 2.1% from last year’s figure of 43.7%. Accounting for increased globalization of the legal industry, the Alliance began including data on global new partner promotions last year. Globally in 2024, women accounted for 41.6% of new partners, down from 43.3% in 2023.
“While it’s encouraging to see more firms achieving gender parity in their partner classes, the overall decline in women’s representation is a stark reminder that progress isn’t inevitable – it requires intentional action,” said Manar Morales, President & CEO of the Diversity & Flexibility Alliance. “Law firms must double down on creating equitable systems for advancement and retention,” she added. “The success of our Alliance members shows that sustainable progress is possible when firms make diversity and flexibility core business priorities.”
Other highlights include:
- While there has been a “boomerang effect” between 2021 and 2024, the share of women new partners has increased 8.7 percentage points since 2012, when the Alliance began compiling this data.
- The share of firms with 50% or more women in their new partner class increased from 39.3% last year to 41.8% this year (82 of 196 firms).
- Alliance member firms achieved a 0.6% higher share of women among U.S.-based new partners (42.2%) compared to the industry average (41.6%).
- Unfortunately, there was a substantial 3% increase in the gap in the share of new women partners compared to the share of women associates – from a gap of 5.7% in 2023 to a gap of 8.7% this year.
The Alliance’s New Partner Report, which is released in full to its members, is a yearly compilation of data from the nation’s largest and top-grossing law firms examining the gender breakdown of attorneys promoted to partnership . The data is based upon publicly available firm announcements and other self-reported sources on new partner classes with an effective date of promotion between October 1, 2023, and September 30, 2024.
The “Tipping the Scales” firms recognized for having 50% or more women in their 2024 new partner class included:
| 1. Akin
2. Allen Matkins 3. Armstrong Teasdale 4. Arnall Golden 5. Baker McKenzie 6. Baker Botts 7. Baker Donelson 8. BakerHostetler 9. Ballard Spahr 10. Barnes & Thornburg 11. Benesch 12. Beveridge & Diamond 13. Bilzin Sumberg 14. Blank Rome 15. Boies Schiller Flexner* 16. Bradley Arant 17. Buchanan Ingersoll 18. Burns & Levinson 19. Burr & Forman 20. Chapman and Cutler 21. Cooley 22. Cox, Castle & Nicholson 23. Cozen O’Connor 24. Davis Wright Tremaine*** 25. Debevoise* 26. Dechert* 27. Dickinson Wright |
28. Dinsmore
29. Duane Morris 30. Dykema 31. Eversheds Sutherland 32. Epstein Becker & Green** 33. Finnegan 34. Fredrikson & Byron 35. Goldberg Segalla 36. Gordon Feinblatt 37. Goulston & Storrs 38. Greenspoon Marder 39. Herrick 40. Hinckley Allen 41. Husch Blackwell 42. Ice Miller 43. Irell 44. Jackson Lewis** 45. Jenner & Block* 46. Kelley Drye 47. Kilpatrick Townsend 48. Lane Powell 49. Lewis Roca 50. Littler** 51. McCarter & English 52. McDermott 53. Miller & Chevalier** 54. Moore & Van Allen 55. Morgan Lewis*
|
56. Morris Manning
57. Munger Tolles 58. Nixon Peabody 59. Orrick 60. Patterson Belknap 61. Paul Weiss 62. Pillsbury 63. Polsinelli 64. Porter Wright 65. Pryor Cashman 66. Quinn Emanuel 67. Robins Kaplan 68. Ropes & Gray 69. Saul Ewing 70. Sheppard Mullin 71. Sidley 72. Snell & Wilmer 73. Susman Godfrey 74. Thompson Hine 75. Tucker Ellis 76. Venable 77. Vorys 78. Whiteford 79. Weil* 80. Wiley Rein* 81. Williams & Connolly 82. Williams Mullen
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*Four-year Tipping the Scales Recipient
**Five-year Tipping the Scales Recipient
***Six-year Tipping the Scales Recipient
Firms in italics are recognized on their US-based class only.
Diversity & Flexibility Alliance Member Firms are in bold.
For more than a decade, the Diversity and Flexibility Alliance has collaborated with organizations to develop inclusive flexible working cultures that cultivate diversity in leadership, drive workplace wellbeing, and foster a more humanized work experience. The Alliance provides practical research-based solutions, customizable training programs, strategic advisory services and a peer-learning network that increase organizational effectiveness through diversity and flexibility.
Contact: Manar Morales
301-580-2490
