What five senior women partners taught me about leadership
“Contrary to popular belief, the best way to climb to the top of the ladder is to take others up there with you.”
When I finished interviewing Alison Eddy for my book chapter, I burst into tears.
Not because she said anything upsetting - quite the opposite.
Alison is the former senior partner at Irwin Mitchell (now the Partner Ambassador for Inclusion at the same firm), and she spoke with such clarity, empathy, and emotional intelligence about her leadership journey that I suddenly realised what I’d been missing throughout my own legal career.
For years, I’d worked in environments where being loud, assertive, and endlessly self-promoting seemed to be the key to getting ahead. The people who rose fastest tended to look and sound the same, and it certainly wasn’t women like me. I was never going to win in that kind of culture, though I didn’t know there was an alternative.
Until I spoke to women like Alison. And Jo Farmer. And Rachael Heenan. And Christine Braamskamp. And Sara Bailey.
These aren’t just senior women. They’re leaders who are changing the profession - not by shouting louder than their colleagues, but by leading with integrity, empathy, adaptability, and courage.
After speaking with them, I grieved for the version of my career that might have been, had I seen these kinds of role models earlier. But more than anything, I felt hope. Because I could finally see that things are changing.
What does a “good” leader in law look like?
That’s the question at the heart of my chapter for the new book Beyond Bias: Unleashing the Potential of Women in Law, published by Globe Law and Business.
For decades, law firms have implicitly rewarded a narrow version of leadership: confident, commanding and relentlessly self-assured; traits that are more often associated with traditional (and typically male) models of power than with modern, human-centred leadership.
But when you start speaking to successful women in law, not just about what they do, but how they lead, a different picture emerges.
I’m sharing these voices here because I know not everyone will have the means to buy the book, and I want as many people as possible to know that these kinds of leaders exist. Not everyone will have the privilege of working for such transformational leaders, but the message of my chapter is that this is the future of leadership in law.
Christine Braamskamp, Managing Partner, Jenner & Block London LLP, told me:
“I try to lead by actively modelling the behaviours I expect of others: showing respect for other people’s perspectives and opinions; being client-focused; putting the firm first; getting stuck into the last-minute work demands alongside the team; taking time for my family and talking about it... I think, when you do that consistently, people trust you; they feel safe, and they perform better.”
At Irwin Mitchell, Alison Eddy explained:
“At Irwin Mitchell … 58 percent of partners are women. It’s largely because management bought in; diversity objectives are written into standard performance conversations … Culture is a critical business asset.”
Rachael Heenan, Senior Partner, Capsticks LLP, reminded me that leadership isn’t about being the loudest voice in the room:
“Leadership isn't about shouting the loudest. It’s about taking the time to understand your people: their pressures, their strengths, their lives outside work, and making them feel valued.”
And Sara Bailey, Senior Partner, Trowers & Hamlins LLP spoke about the importance of authenticity:
“To be a truly great leader, you need to be authentic. You can be authentic and still have gravitas. You need to lead from the front, be relatable, and embody the values of your organization.”
Jo Farmer, Joint Managing Partner, Lewis Silkin LLP, showed what it looks like to completely rethink traditional leadership structures:
“When I was elected to the managing partner role, I looked at some of the structures, including the use of ‘divisions’ within the firm … And one of the first things I did was to move away from ‘divisions’ into more of a holistic structure of clusters and groups to make people think more as one firm. Even the word ‘division’ is divisive!”
The old model of law firm leadership isn’t just outdated. It’s being rewritten, right now, by women who lead differently - and effectively.
A culture that’s starting to change
What struck me again and again while writing this chapter was how many senior women are already rewriting the rules.
Most of these women didn’t plan to be trailblazers. They simply chose to lead in a way that felt true to themselves. And, by doing so, they’ve helped create more space for the next generation of women lawyers to lead differently, and thrive.
As I write in the chapter:
“Most law firm partners are intelligent, fair-minded people. I don’t believe the bias is usually conscious. It’s systemic. It’s cultural. It’s just the way things have always been done.”
The good news is that culture is already changing.
Firms are modernising. Clients are paying attention. And the conversations are changing.
A note to law firms: let’s keep going
This isn’t about blame.
It’s about building workplaces that work for everyone.
If you want to retain and progress brilliant women, foster diverse thinking, and stay relevant to your clients, your leadership culture has to evolve.
That’s why I now deliver in-house sessions based on the key themes in my chapter, because this isn’t just a “nice to have.”
The firms that are thriving today are the ones that see emotionally intelligent leadership for what it is: a strategic driver of performance, retention, and growth.
In these sessions, we look at:
• The hidden leadership norms shaping who gets ahead (and who doesn’t)
• How to widen your definition of leadership without lowering standards
• Why emotional intelligence is a competitive advantage
• And how to build a culture that attracts and keeps brilliant lawyers
I’d be happy to explore what this might look like for your firm.
Please reply to this email if you’d like to chat.
Not in charge of training decisions? That’s OK.
If you're at a firm where you think this kind of conversation could benefit your team, but you're not the decision-maker, I'd still love to hear from you. Sometimes the most powerful change starts with a quiet suggestion.
Because it’s personal
This work isn’t abstract for me.
It’s personal.
I cried because I felt grief, for what I hadn’t had.
But I also felt something else: pride.
Because I now get to contribute to a future where more women can succeed by being exactly who they are.
Let’s make that future a reality, together.
Enjoy the rest of your week.
Rachel
Ps to get a copy of the book which features my chapter, go to Beyond Bias, Second Edition, Globe Law and Business
(not an affiliate link, just sharing because I want to spread the message!)