Pamela Roberts Comments on "The Gender Gap" of Female Equity Partners for International Business Times Article
Columbia Partner Pamela Roberts offered comments on client succession in an International Business Times article, "The Gender Gap: For Female Lawyers, Progress Slow In Equity Partnerships At Private Practice Law Firms, Report Finds."
Despite the call to increase the percentage of female equity partners at law firms around the country, recent reports have shown little change. According to the article, one potential hindrance to growth in female equity partners has to do with client succession, where fewer women are given a firm's existing clients when senior attorneys leave the firm.
Pamela commented that if an attorney isn’t given client succession, they often aren’t seen as drivers of firm revenue, which is an important quality in an equity partner. “There should be some concerted effort to ensure women are provided opportunities for succession,” said Pamela.
Pamela is very active in the legal community and has held high-ranking positions on the American Bar Association's Commission on Women in the Profession, Commission on Opportunities for Minorities in the Profession, and the South Carolina Women Lawyers Association.