Joining the firm's partnership are Shae McCartney in the firm's Brisbane workplace relations & safety practice, Mary Pringle in the Perth real estate practice and Fran Rush in the firm's Sydney banking practice. Rush is a former partner of Clayton Utz, this month rejoining the partnership after recently returning to the firm.

The latest additions to the firm's partnership bring its total female partner headcount to 39 and the proportion of female partners to just under 20 per cent.

"Certainly they are all females but each of them are extremely competent lawyers," Clayton Utz chief executive partner Darryl McDonough told Lawyers Weekly.

"In many ways [the promotions] are no more than a reflection of where our firm is at the moment. Most of our senior associates and special counsels are female and I think you'll find a growing trend of women moving into the partnership. We work pretty hard at trying to get the systems right to encourage them to be able to do that."

According to McDonough, the firm's partnership growth strategy involves consolidation in some practice areas while growing other areas.

"I'm expecting that things will be perhaps a little bit easier in the year to come, hopefully, and that there will be a lot more opportunities opening up."