Women Lawyers and the War for Talent

There is a fierce battle for talent underway in U.S. law firms that could benefit women lawyers. According to Citi Private Bank, starting in 2017, law firms added more equity partners through lateral hires than from internal promotions. Citi called the phenomenon “a fundamental shift in how firms plan to drive revenue growth in the years ahead.” Because firms are competing to recruit the best talent away from other firms, employers should have stronger incentives than ever to retain their most valued lawyers and to discourage them from looking for greener pastures at other firms or in-house.

At the same time, clients are demanding that law firms staff their matters with more-diverse teams. In January 2019, the general