International Women’s Day 2025: A junior Lawyer and Partner’s reflection about accelerating action for gender equality
This year’s International Women’s Day theme is Accelerate Action. At Birketts, there is a concerted effort (both structurally, educationally and culturally) to champion equality and inclusion. This article and International Women’s Day itself exist because historically women have been systematically excluded from formal workplaces and still experience underrepresentation across the economy but I do wish to acknowledge that that no gender is immune from oppression and difficulties. International Men’s Day has taken place on 19 November since the 1990s and you can read about it here.
Birketts is statistically Next Level (pun intended) for female inclusion. I am proud to say that our figures outperform the industry standard [1]. In 2024, 72% of the individuals promoted to Senior Associate and Legal Director were female, which is significant for a profession that (for various reasons) often struggles to retain women. In 2025, 69% of solicitors at Birketts are female. In 2025, 41% of the partners are female (in 2024, women made up 70% of the new partners at Birketts compared to 38% of the new partners in 2019). Birketts employees are surrounded by female role models (both internally and externally).
Law is one of the world’s oldest professions (and arguably the most impactful to the individual and society as a whole), and yet women could only practice law as solicitors in the UK from 1919 [2], which is a few generations before my birth and roughly a century before I qualified as a solicitor. The 53% of solicitors who are female [3] are part of the profession because we earned our qualifications but we are also here because of those people before us who worked tireless to change and challenge the wider culture so our ability could be recognised. Everyday when we come to work, we are thankful to the women before us who were willing to risk their autonomy, dignity and freedom for ours (if you are interested in learning more about the fight for women’s equality in the legal sector, I recommend take a few minutes to read the First 100 Years Timeline). We must continue to Accelerate Action both for ourselves and for those who will come after us.
On this International Women’s Day, I have reflected on my immediate professional position as a junior Solicitor in the Commercial Real Estate team at Birketts and invite you to reflect also on your own professional journeys.
I am grateful to be part of a very progressive team and division and as part of this, a few weeks ago, I had a really interesting conversation with Grace Kerr, Partner and Head of the Real Estate Division. She has agreed to share this as part of Birketts’ continuous commitment to Accelerate Action on International Women’s Day.
What can individuals do to Accelerate Action?
I asked Grace about her lived experience as a woman in law and what individuals can do to encourage inclusion.
For Grace, both having and being a role model are central to her commitment to inclusion. “When I first entered the profession, there were very few female role models. Women often had to fight very hard to become partners and the “glass ceiling” was very evident. It was only when as a junior lawyer, I went to work for a team led by two female partners, that I first believed that I could possibly achieve partnership.”
This resonates with my own experience as a junior lawyer. I work directly with a senior female lawyer, Stacy Aspden. Witnessing Stacy lead complex transactions, have the difficult but necessary client conversations our profession requires and consistently deliver great results has shown me that if you can see it, you can be it.
Another of my team leaders and role models, Commercial Real Estate Property Partner Stuart Raven, marks International Women’s Day in his (majority) female team, annually by circulating an inspirational poem highlighting women’s role in society and sharing chocolate (much appreciated for a variety of reasons).
Advice for junior women?
I also asked Grace for some general advice for junior women and she shared that “sometimes, the biggest challenge to women progressing in the legal industry is ourselves. Often the restrictions to progression are ones that we create for ourselves because we think, “oh, I could never do that” or “I am not quite enough.” Unfortunately “imposter syndrome” remains alive and well so my advice is remember you are a good lawyer and you’re here on merit so don’t be afraid to be brave and be bold.”
Grace’s words ring true for me. Sometimes, I feel keenly aware of being one of the few women in the room and put excess pressure on myself to be perfect to justify my seat at the table. Working at Birketts has disrupted this self-induced pressure by surrounding me with role models of all genders, who both share their vulnerabilities and show willingness to get on with it. They have shown me that imperfect action is better than no action and the results speak for themselves.
How does your lived experience impact your leadership style?
Finally, I asked Grace about how her experience in the legal industry impacts her leadership style. “I had a terrible experience with a male partner when I came back from maternity leave after having my first child. I got on with him really well before I had my baby – he was really encouraging and supportive. When I came back, it was a completely different experience. I felt I could do nothing right and everything went back to well…”that is because you are a mother.” This really affected me. Maternity leave does not change our ability to be good lawyers and the examples we have of promotions whilst on maternity leave are really powerful.”
Hearing Grace’s passion really moved me and highlights why it is so crucial for women to be in the room where decisions are made. In her leadership role, Grace has the opportunity to improve upon her lived experience and advocate for the women who come after her.
Final Reflections
Equality of all kinds is a never-ending group project (at the current rate of progress, it will take until 2158, which is roughly five generations from now, to reach full gender parity [4]). When we take the time to see each other as humans with inherent worth and abilities, we grow stronger and more effective as a society.
The goal of the feminist movement is not for women to dominate business at the expense of other genders but for us to have access to the opportunities themselves, have our skills recognised and be included in the rooms where decisions are made. Although more women are entering the profession than ever (something that would be beyond the wildest dreams of Eliza Orme, the first UK woman to earn a law degree in 1888 [5]), women often remain underrepresented in senior positions across the industry.
There is no one way to be woman and there is no one way to stand up for gender equality. I encourage you all to take some time to consider what you can do in your teams, communities and families to accelerate action.
[1] https://www.sra.org.uk/sra/equality-diversity/diversity-profession/diverse-legal-profession/
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