Women Account for 50 percent of Baker & Daniels' New Partners

Most law firms have made their partner promotions for 2009, and the results are a "mixed bag" for women, according to the Project for Attorney Retention reported in the National Law Journal. The study of new partner classes at 85 major law firms found that women made up about 28 percent of newly minted partners, the story reported. The results varied greatly from firm to firm, however.

Baker & Daniels was listed among the law firms whose new partner classes were 50 percent or more female, according to the National Law Journal story entitled "Partner Promotions in 2009 a 'Mixed Bag' for Women." Women made up 40 percent or more of new partners at 23 of the firms surveys, while 14 firms did not promote any women to partner this year, according to the story.

"Many firms are promoting a significant number of women, which shows that firms can be successful in retaining and advancing their women lawyers," Cynthia Thomas Calvert, co-director of PAR, said in the story. "We are disheartened, though, by the large number of firms that did not make any women partners." Calvert said the overall percentage of women promoted to partner in 2009 did not differ significantly from 2008.