The document discusses strategies for improving the retention of women at law firms. It outlines Norton Rose Australia's (NRA) history of establishing a Women's Career Committee and increasing the percentage of women partners. However, further analysis found that while recruiting many female graduates, NRA was not retaining women at senior levels like men. The document details building a business case to partners by illustrating the costs of not retaining women and developing successful diversity strategies including flexible work arrangements, mentoring programs, and career resilience training.

1. FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS ENERGY INFRASTRUCTURE AND COMMODITIES TRANSPORT TECHNOLOGY
Talent Retention and the Gender Equation
The Norton Rose Approach
Sally Macindoe
Chairman and Partner
Norton Rose Australia
31 January 2011

2. 1. Clarifying and Building the Business Case
for the retention of women
• Norton Rose Australia history and outcomes
• Building a Business Case
• Developing and executing a strategy

3. NRA history and outcomes
• Women’s Career Committee established 2005
• Focused on ensuring women were presented for
partnership
• Achieved 21% of women Partners by 2009
• EOWA Employer of Choice for women criteria were
thought provoking
• Analysed our demographics and leadership pipeline
• We had increased the number of women Partners
BUT
• We had not wholistically addressed the issues
affecting women’s advancement

4. Board direction
In 2009 the Board recognised both:
• the changing composition of the workforce; and
• the retention of women
as strategic issues and requested
• a review of Diversity operations
• a strategy aimed at retaining women and increasing the
representation of women at the senior level
Which resulted in
• Development of an interim strategy
• Establishment of clear KPI’s to measure progress

5. Analysis and research
Analysis and research indicated
• In excess of 70% of law graduates continue to be
women
• We continued to recruit female graduates in higher
numbers than men
• A majority of our lawyers were women
• We were not retaining women to senior levels in
the same numbers as men
• Turnover of women was consistently higher at key
points in their career

6. Actions arising from analysis
• Clearly the retention of women was critical to our
ongoing business success
• We needed to
• Understand why women were leaving in
greater numbers than men
• Develop a strategy to address those issues
• Illustrate the cost and threat to our business
presented by not retaining women and
developing them to senior positions

7. Internal consultation and research
Appointed external consultants to undertake
research within our firm who
• Extensively surveyed our male and female
lawyers on the reasons why women chose to
leave
• Conducted focus groups to further explore and
validate survey responses
• Provided a comprehensive report on factors
affecting the retention of women

8. Results and strategy development
• Too many talented women were leaving the
organisation
• The reasons that they were leaving were often
preventable
• The cost to the business of not retaining women
was high
• Investment in development
• Replacement costs
• Loss of knowledge
• Loss of goodwill in relationships with client
• Our diversity strategy was updated to incorporate
and address what was learned

9. Presenting the business case
Partners must understand and believe the strategy
Thorough analysis allowed illustration to all Partners that
• Retention of women was a business issue, not a
social justice issue
• There were significant cost, business continuity and
reputational risks if the issue was not addressed
• The issues influencing the retention of women were
real and valid
• The solutions proposed within the revised Diversity
strategy were immediate and relevant

10. Responses to and outcomes of business
case
• Robust discussion
• Challenge to the data and research
• Acceptance of the business imperative
• Curiosity as to how things were to be addressed
• Willingness to support the initiatives
• Identification of intuitive supporters
• Clarity of purpose and direction around a strategy

11. Thinking about the development and retention
of all staff as a strategic issue
• People and knowledge as assets
• Importance of career development for all staff
• Particular factors influencing retention of women

12. People and knowledge as assets
• Legal services are the provision of knowledge
• Our people and their training/knowledge are our
assets
• High investment in development of all skills of
being a lawyer
• Failing to retain talented lawyers is a cost
• Different motivators for retention of men and
women

13. Career development for all staff
• Any talent retention initiative must address needs
of male and female staff
• Importance of male and female Partners leading
gender diversity initiatives
• Transparency of purpose and communication of
reasons is fundamental
• Risk of resentment in senior men about a
perceived “easy ride” for women
• Must demonstrate equal attention and
commitment to development needs of men and
women
• This very competitiveness can be an issue for
women

14. Particular factors influencing retention of
women
• Forms of reward and recognition
• Ability to work flexibly
• Quality of work and quality of clients
• Ability to work effectively as part of a team
• Timing of meetings or significant events
• Availability of range of social activities with clients
• Navigation of environment where
Partners/supervisors are predominantly male

15. Successful responses to changing workplace
dynamics of professional firms
• Acknowledging difference
• Flexible Work Arrangements
• Mentoring
• Career Resilience Training

16. Acknowledging difference
• A majority of legal staff in firms are now women
• Any gender diversity strategy/initiative must
acknowledge different approaches, attitudes and
development needs of all stakeholders
• Women will approach issues or scenarios and
respond differently to men
• Occasionally there can be unconscious bias in a
predominantly male leadership
• NRA takes a top down (Partners first) approach in
implementation of gender diversity initiatives
• Education and a safe environment for open
dialogue is critical

17. Flexible Work Arrangements
• A major issue for all firms
• Revised policy and procedure
• 9 months of review, consultation and development
• Identify and address barriers
• Invite comment
• Top down (Partnership Council, MANCO, Partners)
launch inviting further engagement
• Importance of balance of business and personal
interests
• Importance of constant maintenance of arrangements
through ongoing monitoring and dialogue

18. Mentoring
• Research indicated strong desire in women for
effective mentoring
• Preference for both male and female mentors
• Desire to seek external as well as internal mentors
• Reflected that women in law firms are less likely to
“fall into” a mentoring relationship
• Provide platform for creation of mentoring
relationships between senior men and junior
women
• Need for structured program with guidance for
both parties

19. Career Resilience Training
• Aimed at acknowledging that women will interact
with the workplace differently
• Assists with identifying own work style preferences
• Providing training and guidance to assist with
understanding different workplace dynamics and
how to engage with the workplace in their
authentic style
• Incorporates male Partners sponsoring
participants and developing their own awareness
as part of the program