Female Private Equity Lawyers Drive Record Partner Moves in London
A recent Financial News article from Zoe Hu examines a landmark shift in London's private equity lateral market: female PE partners are moving firms at record levels, with new data from Macrae+'s London Private Equity Report providing the headline figures.
According to the report, 15 of the private equity partners appointed in London in 2025 were women - representing 30% of all PE partner moves. This marks the highest proportion in the eight years Macrae+ has tracked the data, and a significant increase from 7% in 2024 and 26% in 2023. Total PE partner moves in London also reached a new high of 50 in 2025, surpassing the previous record of 31 set in 2023.
The article attributes much of the female-driven movement to a series of high-profile team moves, including Anu Balasubramanian leading a three-partner group from Paul Hastings to Goodwin, and Helen Croke joining White & Case from Ropes & Gray. Siobhán Lewington, Co-Managing Partner at Macrae London, comments in the piece: "It is encouraging that firms are taking women seriously as business builders - and particularly encouraging against the backdrop of an environment of executive orders in the US relating to diversity, equity and inclusion."
The article also draws on SRA data showing that while women account for 55% of all lawyers across UK firms, they hold only 35% of equity partner positions - a figure that has nonetheless risen from 32% in 2023.
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