While female solicitors currently make up 55 per cent of all solicitors in Australia and 50 per cent of lawyers working in private practice, women have traditionally faced systemic and structural challenges in progressing to partner level, making up only a third of partners at Australia’s 50 largest law firms.

Lander & Rogers has over 600 staff and almost 100 partners, with offices in Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne.

According to chief executive partner Genevieve Collins, who was appointed as the firm’s first female CEP in 2018, the achievement of gender parity within the partnership represents “an important step in the firm’s commitment to gender equality and showcases the collective ability to build an environment where everyone regardless of gender has an equal opportunity to contribute, develop and thrive”.

To achieve its gender parity targets, Lander & Rogers implemented targeted initiatives with a focus on four key areas: flexibility, talent, pay equity, and inclusive leadership.

“In these four areas, we pinpointed the most significant opportunities to foster gender diversity at all levels of the firm and identified where we could make the most tangible impact,” said Ms Collins.

The firm operates a fully hybrid and flexible work policy, with no days or number of days in the office mandated, to allow individuals to balance their personal and professional responsibilities. Recent partner promotees – two of whom work part-time – have said the arrangement allows them to design their day around work and personal commitments, offering space and flexibility alongside rewarding and challenging work, the firm said.

Lander & Rogers has also established dedicated programs for mentoring and leadership development – and as well as a female CEP, the firm has a female chair of the board, female chair of partners, a gender-balanced C-suite, and four out of eight practice groups led or co-led by women.

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In 2019, Lander & Rogers removed pay secrecy clauses from its employment contracts, and it conducts rigorous annual pay gap analyses to identify and address pay disparities. The firm also offers a gender-neutral parental leave policy of 26 weeks of paid leave and superannuation on unpaid parental leave, to minimise the pay gap experienced primarily by mothers who take more time out from the workforce.

“Our milestone strengthens our firm as a fair and equitable workplace while allowing us to continue to provide our clients with diverse perspectives and experiences,” Ms Collins added.