07/03/2016 In India Inc too, women lawyers setting new bar | The Financial Express

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In India Inc too, women lawyers setting new barBy: Kunal Doley | March 6, 2016 12:22 AM

If recent hiring activity data are anything to go by, this could be the best of times

for women lawyers to make a mark in corporate India, as companies have been

aggressively pushing to close the gender gap and improve diversity in the past few

years.

As per Vahura, a recruitment firm that specialises in legal talent, up to 60% of

lawyers hired in the financial services industry last year were women. Besides

financial services, IT (40%) and energy (35%) have been found to be the other two

sectors that are hiring more women in their legal teams. In general, there has been

a steady rise in women lawyers’ listing in India—from 12.5% in 2010 to 17.34% in

2015, as per UK-based Chambers & Partners, which ranks lawyers and law firms.

“Companies, as a whole, are aggressively pushing to close the gender gap and

improve diversity. This change in hiring strategy can be seen in recruitment for

legal experts as well,” says Trupti Kulkarni, head of internal systems, Vahura.

Women lawyers adapt better and faster in the corporate world, explains Kulkarni.

“They have a natural temperament and disposition to adjust to the corporate

culture and have a detail-oriented approach. This is helpful when assessing legal

issues/risks. Their intuitive approach is particularly helpful when it comes to

dealing with contractual and employee-related issues,” she adds.

Besides corporate India’s focus on improving the diversity ratio, disparity in pay—

or rather the absence of it—seems to be another prime reason driving women

lawyers to join companies. As per Vahura, which regularly tracks the average pay

rises when professionals shift jobs, women lawyers on an average received a

29.80% hike as compared to male lawyers, who received an average hike of 35.31%

last year.

Women lawyers with 11-15 years’ work experience got hikes similar to their male

counterparts. “In every other experience bracket, women got only a marginally

lower percentage hike as compared to their male counterparts,” adds Balanand

Menon, head of consulting, Vahura.

Dee Sekar, a UK-qualified solicitor, corporate counsel and global diversity editor at

Chambers & Partners, too, sees less of a pay gap in corporate firms compared to law

firms, “where there is much more of a male-centric atmosphere and pay inequality

between men and women”, she says, adding, “The traditional law firm structure is

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07/03/2016 In India Inc too, women lawyers setting new bar | The Financial Express

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not conducive to those who require flexible working arrangements.

Women struggle to advance in their careers when they return to work after

maternity leave. It is for this reason that moving into an inhouse role might seem

like an attractive option for women, as corporations tend to offer more flexible

work options and support,” she adds.

Sekar, who is of Indian origin, feels the demand for Indian women lawyers is on a

rise globally as well.

“Most law firms have international clients and I have seen a huge demand for

(Indian) women lawyers from US and Latin-American clients. The growing

presence of international firms in India will also help in increasing this demand,”

she says. Realising their importance, Indian law firms are also taking steps to retain

female lawyers. For instance, the erstwhile Amarchand Mangaldas—the largest law

firm in India before it split into two different law firms in May last year—had a

45:55 gender ratio across the board. It also has a crèche since December 2009. “The

centre had the capacity to look after 15 children aged between the ages of six

months and eight years. Along with two teachers to keep the children engaged

throughout the day, they also had a nurse for medical assistance. This definitely

sets a very high standard and positive example for the rest of the profession,” says

Sekar.

In recent years, demand has grown for women lawyers in the technology space in

India. “However, they are mostly in the mid-manager-level roles and not many

make it to the general counsel and senior vice-president levels,” laments Sekar.

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