Breaking the glass ceiling: women lawyers and the leadership challenge for law firms

EY Law - Although women represent a growing proportion - and even a majority - of the student body in law schools in Latin America and other regions, this presence does not translate, proportionally, into leadership positions within law firms, corporate legal departments, international organizations or the judicial system. The phenomenon known as the "glass ceiling" is still in force: a structural barrier, often invisible, that limits the advancement of women in the legal profession.

According to various industry studies, while women make up more than 50% of the core staff in law firms, only 15% to 25% reach partner positions (World Economic Forum (WEF) Global Gender Gap Report 2024). In higher judicial bodies, female representation continues to be lower, despite institutional commitments to parity. In an area such as ours, which is international trade, only 15% of world trade is led by women (WTO, 2022).
This phenomenon is not due to a lack of ability, merit or aspiration on the part of women, but to a combination of factors such as lack of visibility and sponsorship within organizational structures, gender bias, often unconscious, in the evaluation and promotion processes, rigid institutional culture, insensitive to the realities of work-life balance, and scarce presence of female leadership models in the legal field.

Forming legal leaders: proposals and strategies

To reverse this trend, it is not enough to "open opportunities". It is necessary to develop a clear, sustainable and transformative institutional strategy. Women need mentors, committed to clear goals for increasing female leadership, with evaluations that include bonuses for those who sponsor and meet the goals. Organizations must expressly commit to including a percentage of women in their leadership in an open and transparent manner. Some ways to achieve this goal should include:

1. Promote mentoring and sponsorship programs
Successful models of career advancement show that structured and active mentoring networks have a significant impact on the career development of young women lawyers. Sponsorship, understood as the public and strategic endorsement of a female or male leader in positions of power, is also key to opening up decision-making spaces.

2. Incorporate leadership skills from training
Firms should include leadership training, negotiation skills, effective communication and management of diverse teams.