This month has seen the arrival of a new City law firm, Maurice Turnor Gardner. Any launch is news these days but this more so than others, for it is a predominantly female firm. Founded by twenty three lawyers and support staff made redundant by Britain's fourth biggest law firm, Allen & Overy, the new firm took the unusual step of drafting the partnership agreement in the female voice. It says "Each member will devote her whole time and attention to the business during normal hours."
The practice will be run by Clare Maurice who, in 1985, became Allen & Overy's first woman partner. Richard Turnor, the only male partner, said that he and his colleagues would recruit both men and women, and that they do not have a specifically feminist agenda.
There has been much talk recently of women leaving the corporate world to set up their own companies. Is this, then, a move towards segregated businesses? Is working for a women-only firm really just a case of having thrown in the towel? Are women beginning to accept that they can't smash the glass ceiling? As senior women move on, younger colleagues will find themselves without role models and potential mentors. And if this is the case, how are companies to motivate younger women employees?
Comments (2)
Posted by Maggie Berry | May 6, 2009 10:10 AM
This seems like a great step forward in empowering women in the business world and making us more visible as business leaders, which is always a positive thing. Rather than accepting that they can’t smash the glass ceiling, women are just pursuing alternative avenues for success – and why not? There are many companies founded and run by men, but this is so common and widely accepted that no-one notices, let alone considers it to be segregated. There will still be male staff in Maurice Turnor Gardner, just like there will still be female employees in other professional organisations, so maybe this move was necessary to create more visible female role models and remind people that women can reach the top – and successfully.
Posted on May 6, 2009 10:10
Posted by Ben Moss | May 6, 2009 10:26 AM
This is a very topical story in a month when gender equality and pay has been in the news again. I'm not entirely sure that creating firms with a predominantly female workforce is the answer though - inequality is wrong and no doubt incredibly frustrating for those affected, but this does smack of throwing in the towel. There is a tension between trying to redress the equality balance and achieving diversity here - what you gain in the former you will almost certainly lose in the latter. Maurice Turnor Gardner is staffed almost completely by women and also by a group of people who have all had similar experiences involving redundancy - hardly a diverse crew! This will more than likely affect the performance of the new firm over time and, before you know it, a new glass ceiling is in place - one that constrains its overall potential because of an inability to beat more diverse competitors. No one these days actively advocates gender inequality - the door is open - so better to push against it firmly by creating a business that has next generation HR policies and a good mix of highly talented staff.
Posted on May 6, 2009 10:26