Addleshaw Goddard recently celebrated its sixth year of Flourish, AG's Female Lawyer Development Programme.

The firm welcomed 42 women, comprised of client and AG delegates, to Milton Gate, for a two-day programme, which helps attendees build a network of contacts and develop critical career management skills, with the key aim of supporting female progression to senior positions.

Launched in 2012, the innovative programme addresses the pertinent issue of gender disparity at senior levels. At its inception, the programme was designed to redress this imbalance, specifically tailored to the areas that female lawyers had asked for further development in. Since its launch, the programme has helped attendees build a network of support, and fortify their own personal confidence, equipping them with an enhanced toolset to carve a path through their career.

Celebrating its sixth year in operation, the programme continues to be an overwhelming success, with tangible evidence that it is achieving its business aims: over the last six years, 33% of AG's newly promoted partners have been female (up from 28% in the three years prior to this) and, over the same period, AG's UK female partner proportion has risen from 20% to 27%; as part of its diversity strategy, the firm aims to have 30% female partners by 2019.

Justine Delroy, tax partner and programme sponsor, commented: "We are immensely proud of what our Flourish Programme has achieved over the last six years, and the outstanding feedback we have received. We have grown a community of Flourish alumni who are able to share their experiences, and create a network of support and guidance, with the aim of driving change in the workplace. We champion the development of talented female lawyers, and have a target of 30% female partners by 2019."

The firm has a longstanding commitment to supporting female career progression and gender equality, and the Flourish Programme is an integral part to this pledge. Alongside this, other initiatives such as the firm's flexible shared parental leave, agile working arrangements and the annual Returner Programme led to AG being recognised, for the second year in succession, in The Times Top 50 Employers for Women 2017.

For more information about Flourish, as well as all the firm's initiatives on development and retention of women, please visit the firm's Gender webpage.