The girls Den good

29 April 2008

Most of the votes are in, they're being counted and the winners are emerging. Yes, you're right, the local elections aren't until Thursday but the 2008 partnership round is coming to an end.

Barlow Lyde & Gilbert, Denton Wilde Sapte and Watson Farley & Williams were the latest to announce their promotions following Cobbetts, Farrers, Mishcon de Reya and Norton Rose yesterday.

There's only a few stragglers left, who still have not managed to count their partners' votes. Something to do with bank holidays, apparently.

Dentons' promotions tale is a beautiful microcosm of the market as a whole. See story.

Promotions were fairly low at Dentons, as with most firms other than those, such as Barlows, which could restock the partnership after a number of departures. Five out of Dentons' 12 new partners are women. And the promotions have a real international flavour.

The record year for women is a fantastic surprise, and one which (to blow our own trumpet for a minute) we called after the first week of promotions back at the end of March. See story.

Dentons has taken both themes one step further with new female partners in Oman and Turkey. Dentons may be an unlikely trailblazer but that's real progress. Hats off.

• Duncan Miller