Global law firm's 2022 partner class highlights 54 distinguished lawyers from around the world.
In a significant move towards gender diversity and inclusion, global law firm Baker McKenzie has announced the promotion of 54 lawyers to partner and director positions across 11 practice areas, effective January 1, 2022. This promotion round marks a significant step towards the firm's ambitious goal of achieving a balanced gender representation in leadership and partnership roles.
The promotions span various practice areas and locations, with notable mentions in Dallas, Houston, London, Munich, New York, Sydney, Perth, and Johannesburg. Notable names include Nathan Baum, promoted in the litigation and disputes practice area in Dallas; Kimberly Cheeseman, promoted in the employment and labor practice area in Houston; and Gerry Pecht, Global Chief Executive of the law firm, who praised the promoted lawyers for their industry knowledge, business acumen, and innovative solutions.
In a notable move towards gender diversity, 23 of the promoted lawyers are women, representing 43 percent of the total. This reflects the firm's commitment to achieving its goal of having 40% women, 40% men, and 20% flexible (which may include women, men, or non-binary persons) in partnership and leadership roles by 2025.
Other global law firms, such as Morgan Lewis, emphasize strong inclusion and diversity initiatives, but specific numerical targets for gender diversity in partnership or leadership roles are not detailed in the search results. However, the broader legal industry increasingly views gender diversity and inclusion in leadership as critical for talent recruitment and retention.
Baker McKenzie's explicit, ambitious quantified global target—40% women leadership and partnership representation—stands out as a clear commitment to balanced gender representation. Many firms pursue broader inclusion efforts without always stating explicit numerical targets.
The 11 practice areas included in this round of promotions are litigation and disputes, corporate, M&A and securities, banking and finance, intellectual property, employment and labor, tax, real estate, projects, antitrust and competition, and information governance, privacy and cybersecurity.
Some of the other notable promotions include Justin Coddington, promoted in the tax practice area in Houston; Claudia Posluschny, promoted in the employment and labor practice area in Munich; and Fiona Henderson, promoted in the banking and finance practice area in New York.
This round of promotions at Baker McKenzie underscores the firm's commitment to fostering a diverse and inclusive work environment while maintaining a high standard of legal excellence. The firm's focus on gender diversity and inclusion is a testament to its forward-thinking approach and its dedication to creating a more equitable legal industry.
[1] Baker McKenzie (2021). [Link to source] [2] Morgan Lewis (2021). [Link to source] [3] The American Lawyer (2020). [Link to source]
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