2024 Bright Insight

The likelihood of making partner in FY 2023 also varied across legal practice areas, with more attorneys making partner in litigation, banking and finance, and real estate and construction practice areas. Across the top three legal practice areas for partner promotion, 59% of attorneys who were promoted identified as male and 41% identified as female. However, female attorneys made up the majority of attorneys who made partner in 2023 in the labor and employment (56%), life sciences and healthcare (54%), and government and regulatory practice areas (61%).

Number of partner promotions in FY 2023, select practice areas

-10000%

-8000%

-6000%

-4000%

-2000%

0%

Venture Capital & Private Equity Energy, Resources & Environment Corporate & Business Bankruptcy & Reorganization M&A Intellectual Property Banking & Finance Real Estate & Construction Taxation & Accounting Arbitration & Dispute Resolution Litigation Telecomm & Technology Life Sciences & Health Care* Labor & Employment* Government & Regulatory*

33% 34% 36% 36% 36% 37% 39% 39% 40% 42% 43% 47% 54% 56% 61%

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

800

Female

Male

Source: ALM New Partner Promotions, 2023 Note: Asterisks (*) denote practice areas with majority female partner promotions in FY 2023.

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