What’s Really Holding Women Back in Law?
“Culture does not make people. People make culture. If it is true that the full humanity of women is not our culture, then we can and must make it our culture.”
Why do so many talented women feel they don’t belong in leadership – or end up stepping away from the legal profession altogether?
That’s the question Claire Rason – former corporate lawyer and founder of coaching consultancy Client Talk – found herself wrestling with years after leaving her role as a solicitor. Sparked by personal reflection, coaching conversations, and a quiet “what if?” Claire began a ground-breaking project to explore whether she would have made partner had she stayed in law.
Her research – The Class of 2002: Women in Law – set out to answer that very question. Reconnecting with her former cohort of trainees at Herbert Smith, she examined who stayed, who rose to the top, and why so many didn’t. But her project uncovered much more than just one woman’s hypothetical career path.
In this month’s Female Lawyers’ Club masterclass, Claire shared the surprising, moving, and at times uncomfortable truths she discovered along the way.
It’s not just about having children
One of the clearest patterns Claire found was that 80% of the women who’d had children had changed their working patterns – compared to just 20% of the men. It wasn’t about a lack of ambition. In fact, her research showed no difference in the career aspirations of women and men.
What made the difference was the environment: a 24/7 culture that rewards constant availability and makes it difficult for anyone with caring responsibilities to keep up, let alone thrive. In that kind of system, simply stepping back slightly, even temporarily, can quietly knock you off the path to partnership. This is a system designed for people without caregiving responsibilities and reinforced by outdated assumptions about what “committed” looks like.
Same starting point. Vastly different outcomes.
Claire’s own intake of trainees at Herbert Smith in 2002 included more women than men. Twenty years later, only 23% of those women had made it to partner or GC level – compared to 60% of the men.
Even when comparing Oxbridge graduates, men progressed at nearly three times the rate of women.
The numbers speak for themselves: overall, women were four times less likely to make it to the top.
The myth of the “ideal worker”
Claire’s research revealed a hidden bias around what a partner looks like – not physically, but in terms of personality traits. Think assertive, competitive, ambitious.
These “masculine-coded” traits were consistently seen as essential for leadership – even by women themselves. Traits like empathy, collaboration, and friendliness fell away in perceptions of partnership potential.
It’s no wonder so many women feel they don’t belong or that they’d have to fundamentally change themselves to succeed.
It’s systemic – not personal
One of Claire’s most compelling insights was that we need to stop fixing the women and start fixing the system.
Most diversity initiatives focus on helping women “lean in” or “sell themselves” better – without questioning the broken model of leadership they’re being asked to conform to.
Instead, Claire argues for a rethink of what good leadership actually looks like. Not just for women – but for everyone.
So, what can we do?
Challenge the narrative. What assumptions are we making about what a leader looks like? Where do those come from?
Support sponsorship, not just mentorship. It’s not enough to have a role model – women need champions who advocate for them.
Shift the culture, not just the faces. We need firms that value diverse leadership styles and create space for people to thrive without burning out.
"Your leaders should reflect the people they lead. If women make up the majority of the legal pipeline, how can we accept leadership that doesn’t reflect that?" – Claire Rason
If you’ve ever wondered why you’re not progressing – or felt like you had to become someone else to get promoted – you’re not alone. And you’re not imagining it.
But change is possible. And it starts with conversations like this one.
Enjoy the rest of your week.
Rachel
Ps if you’d like to join in with important conversations like these, we’d love to welcome you inside the membership. The doors will open again next month, and you can join the waitlist here.