How to Make Women Lawyers Partners

A new study being released tomorrow says simple strategies can help law firms help close the gap between the number of women and men who are advancing into partnership ranks.

Among them: make it worthwhile financially for senior partners to promote diversity; encourage men to mentor women; and keep a close eye on how attorneys are credited for their business development efforts, reports the National Law Journal, in an article reprinted by New York Lawyer (reg. req.). Firms should also establish benchmarks, and monitor their success in reaching specific goals.

The National Association of Women Lawyers hopes its report "will increase the percentage of women in top legal positions beyond the 15% mark, where the needle has been stuck for years despite women and men graduating from law school in nearly equal numbers," writes the legal publication.