6 minute read
Norah Durrant
Norah Durrant
Norah Durrant, Founder of Female Counsel; Owner and Founder of Norah Durrant Recruitment, talks to Legal Women about Senior Female Leadership in the Law
When I started out as a lawyer, I didn’t know anyone who worked in the law. My parents didn’t go to university; I was the first generation to do so, and was drawn to law without really knowing what it involved. I became an Employment Lawyer and loved it. But after having children at a time when there was little to no support for working mothers, I realised something had to give. Like many women in the profession, I made the difficult decision to step back.
I didn’t know it then, but that decision would ultimately lead me to the work I do now, supporting female lawyers on their journeys to senior leadership. After 15 years with a respected recruitment firm in London, I set up Norah Durrant Recruitment (NDR) to focus exclusively on female and diverse legal talent. I built the business on what I value most: integrity, trust, and lasting relationships—not quick placements or commission chasing.
The Numbers Still Don’t Add Up
At entry level, women make up around 60% of the legal profession in the UK. But by the time we look at partnership level, that figure plummets to just 27%. And when you dig deeper into who holds equity in firms, it gets even worse.
Now this issue is not just about representation for its own sake. It’s about the message it sends. When female lawyers look up and don’t see anyone like them in leadership, it chips away at their confidence and ambition. Too often I speak to brilliant women who have decided that they’re not quite “ready” to become partner, even when they’ve outperformed male peers who’ve been promoted ahead of them.
What’s Holding Women Back?
In my conversations with candidates, a few themes come up time and time again. The first is the relentless nature of private practice; the billable hour targets, the “always on” culture, and the assumption that serious leadership requires sacrificing everything else. It’s a model that simply doesn’t work for many women, particularly those with caring responsibilities.
Then there’s the issue of sponsorship… or the lack of it. Women are mentored, sure, but they’re rarely actively championed in the way male colleagues are. Add to that, a shortage of visible female role models at the top, and it’s easy to see why progress has stalled.
One of the most frustrating parts of my job is hearing stories from women who’ve returned from maternity leave only to find they’ve been sidelined. I spoke to a senior associate recently, an exceptional lawyer, who was passed over for partnership while two male colleagues were promoted. The reason given: “Not this year, maybe next.” That carrot-dangling, that delay tactic… it wears people down.
A Different Kind of Recruitment
The truth is many recruiters want a quick placement and a fee. But that’s not how I work. If I can see that what they’ve got right now is working, I’ll often tell women they’re better off staying put… for now. I coach them (with a small 'c') to build their practice, raise their profile, and grow their client base so that when the time is right, they move from a position of strength.
I often work with women for over a year before they make a move, and I’ve also helped many realise that they’re already in the right place; they just need to recognise their own worth.
And that’s where Female Counsel comes in, my networking community for women in law. It started small. A group for female partners meeting online and in person to network and share experiences, but it’s grown into something much bigger. Female Counsel now has over 700 women across a variety of disciplines, firms and seniorities, from private practice to in-house. It’s a space to connect, support, and elevate one another. No agenda. No pressure. Just honesty and solidarity.
What Women Want in a Firm
Through NDR and Female Counsel, I’ve had hundreds of conversations with women about what makes them stay… or go. And while money matters, it’s rarely the main reason. What they care about is culture. They want to work somewhere that values them as a whole person, not just a billing machine. They want to see strong female leadership. Not tokenism, but real influence. They want to know their voices will be heard at the top table. They want flexibility that isn’t just a policy on paper but something that’s genuinely supported in practice. And most of all, they want to be somewhere they can thrive, not just survive.
What Firms Need to Do
So, what can firms do to support women into senior leadership?
Start by meeting them. Not their business plan. Not their billing figures. Them. Women often undersell their client following because they don’t want to overpromise. Men, in contrast, tend to double their numbers. So, look past the spreadsheet. Look at the trajectory. Look at the potential.
Support shared parental leave and encourage men to take it. Be flexible in meaningful ways. Give credit for the “non-promotable” tasks that keep the firm ticking over. Make remuneration transparent. And champion your existing female leaders, visibly and often.
This is about long-term investment. Retain your female talent. Nurture it. Promote it. And do it because you believe it makes your firm better, not because it’s a diversity box to tick.
Looking Ahead
I didn’t set out to become a business owner, let alone a voice for change. But here I am. I’m proud of what I do. I’m proud to be a recruiter who does things differently. I’m proud to run Female Counsel. And I’m proud to champion brilliant women who deserve their seats at the table.
We’re at a critical moment. With political shifts and DEI under scrutiny, it’s tempting for organisations to scale back. But if we want real change, now is not the time to retreat. It’s time to double down. ■
Norah Durrant
Founder of Female Counsel networking group
Owner and Founder of Norah Durrant Recruitment
