Blake Dawson has appointed Elspeth Arnold to its board, the third woman on a board of seven.
Blakes has long led the way when it comes to gender equality, having held its Equal Opportunity for Women in the Workplace Agency citation for a record 10 years. Blakes deputy managing partner Helen McKenzie told RollOnFriday that the firm "employs a large number of law graduates each year - the majority of whom are female - and has done so for many years. We recognise the role that we play in training and developing these women to take senior management and leadership positions in our firm and across corporate Australia."
But the news is not so rosy when the wider picture is scrutinised. According to the Australian, the proportion of women promoted to the partnership of the 35 top firms is shrinking. Their survey showed that women accounted for only 21.9 per cent of all new partners promotions in the preceding six months. This was down from 26.8 per cent last year.
Overall the proportion of partnerships held by women remained steady at 19.5 per cent. Gilbert + Tobin is currently hanging on to top spot as the most female friendly place to work, with 36.4 per cent of the partnership positions held by women.
Tip Off ROF
Blakes has long led the way when it comes to gender equality, having held its Equal Opportunity for Women in the Workplace Agency citation for a record 10 years. Blakes deputy managing partner Helen McKenzie told RollOnFriday that the firm "employs a large number of law graduates each year - the majority of whom are female - and has done so for many years. We recognise the role that we play in training and developing these women to take senior management and leadership positions in our firm and across corporate Australia."
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Gender-equality, yesterday |
But the news is not so rosy when the wider picture is scrutinised. According to the Australian, the proportion of women promoted to the partnership of the 35 top firms is shrinking. Their survey showed that women accounted for only 21.9 per cent of all new partners promotions in the preceding six months. This was down from 26.8 per cent last year.
Overall the proportion of partnerships held by women remained steady at 19.5 per cent. Gilbert + Tobin is currently hanging on to top spot as the most female friendly place to work, with 36.4 per cent of the partnership positions held by women.