Six in London
Magic circle giant Freshfields has announced the appointment of 22 new partners globally — half of them women.
Six lawyers receiving the nod are based in London and will take up their new partner roles on 1 May 2021, Freshfields confirmed. Eleven women make the grade this year (five in London), compared to just four in 2020.
The fresh round of partner promotions comes just weeks after the firm announced it was targeting a global leadership team of at least 40% women as part of a new diversity action plan. It also wants 40% of global partner promotions to be women by 2026.
Commenting on the promotions, Freshfields senior partner, Georgia Dawson, said: “I am delighted to welcome such a strong group of colleagues to Freshfields’ global partnership. Our new partners bring diverse thinking, backgrounds and experience to our partnership, all critical to helping our clients navigate the ongoing complexities of the legal and business landscape.”
Dawson, who broke new ground when, in September, she became the first woman to lead a magic circle law firm, continued:
“The promotion of our new partners reflects the firm’s focus on diversity over several years and I look forward to working with each of them as we continue to build our firm for the future.”
Last month fellow MC player Linklaters added 35 lawyers to its global partnership, including 14 women, while Allen & Overy recently announced the promotion of 30 new partners — a third of them women.
