International firms Simmons & Simmons and Gowling WLG have reported strong female representation in their latest partner promotion rounds.

Simmons met its goal of ensuring that 40% of all new partners are female, while Gowling WLG’s 2019 intake is 60% female.

At Simmons, 15 lawyers have been promoted worldwide: six are women. The firm previously aimed to ensure 30% of all new promotions went to females but has since increased the target to 40%.

The appointments cover seven offices, with nine partners based in the UK, five in Europe, Middle East and Africa region, and one in Asia-Pacific.

In the UK, the promoted lawyers are; dispute resolution specialists Adam Brown, Chris Owen, Elizabeth Williams, Priya Nagpal, and Jonathan Spencer, Kathryn James and Alex Ainley, who work in the financial markets team and employment specialists Cathryn Bean and Ed Smith.

Colin Passmore, senior partner, said: ‘I would like to welcome these 15 talented individuals to the partnership and congratulate them on their well-deserved promotions. They are excellent lawyers with outstanding qualities and will help us continue to grow and strengthen our market-leading offering across the globe.’

At Gowling WLG, 10 lawyers have been promoted. Six are women.

Gowling WLG chief executive David Fennell said: ‘Our new partners are all outstanding lawyers and business advisers, with a wealth of expertise in their respective areas, consistently delivering a first-class service to our clients.’

The promotions take effect on Wednesday.