At last, a flurry in appointments of female leaders at many of the world’s largest law firms has occurred. This reached cruising speed as from 2020 and has not stopped since. It should not stop!

This showcase will consist in a conversation between some of those top female leaders, the IBA female leadership and a leadership expert from a INSEAD business school.

The dialogue will address the qualities that such leaders bring to the management table and what firms can do to keep the positive vibe from female leadership once they have moved on and have been succeeded by other, male colleagues?

Female Leadership Excellence in Law Firms: coincidence or here to stay?

Based on research involving 64.000 people in 13 countries, John Gerzema and Michael D'Antonio identified that there is a shift in the types of leadership traits that are associated with success, morality and happiness.

The old masculine traits of aggression control, conflict and command are rapidly losing ground to behaviour, that is considered more feminine, like:  selflessness, empathy, collaboration, flexibility and patience. Both male and female respondents in all researched countries expressed that this is the type of leadership which they consider most suitable for the rapidly changing and unpredictable world we live in. The researchers named this type of leadership: “The Athena Doctrine” (see TEDX Talk).

While these traits can be found both in men and women, it is clear that the Athena Doctrine particularly offers a great opportunity for women to soar in top positions. This session will discuss the following questions:

1. How does the Athena doctrine translate to leadership in law firms?
2. How do the leaders we have at the session relate to the Athena Doctrine?
3. What particular features do they trust that they are bringing to the table?