LATIN LAWYER | Legal departments lead on gender parity in top legal roles

Mari Cruz Taboada comments on the results of LACCA´s latest Diversity & Inclusion survey

Gender parity is more commonly found across top positions of corporate legal departments than law firms in Latin America. Half of the respondents in LACCA's latest Diversity & Inclusion survey said their GC is a woman, while the average share of female partners at the region's law firms remains below 30%.

The LACCA Diversity & Inclusion survey shows some encouraging results for senior leadership roles in corporate legal departments in Latin America: 50% of general counsel positions are held by women and 50% by men, suggesting parity at the top.

However, our analysis of legal departments across the region reveals an imbalance between team composition and leadership roles. The majority of legal teams are predominantly female - over a fourth report over 70% women - yet leadership does not always reflect this.

Still, corporate legal departments are miles ahead in the gender equality work than law firms, at least in the numbers. First, there are very few female managing partners across Latin American law firms, a role that corresponds to that of the GC in this context. Second, the average share of women partners at Latin American firms is 29%, according to the LL250 Performance Index. That is significantly lower than the average share of female lawyers at law firms overall- women make up nearly half (46%) of law firm headcount.

Why are legal departments so much ahead of law firms? One answer lies in the compensation structure. Corporate legal departments offer a more level playing field because compensation is more commonly standardised and not tied to client attraction or revenue generation.

"Corporate legal departments often have more structured [ ... ] performance metrics that value leadership and collaboration over pure billing," says Mari Cruz Taboada of Lexington Consultants. "Law firms still operate on a model that rewards rainmaking and long hours, which historically favours men," she adds.

In comparison, in-house teams tend to offer more flexibility and predictability. "[This makes] them more attractive and accessible for more women or those looking for a more flexible career path," Taboada explains.

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