Ilkley law firm accelerates ahead with gender equality for International Women’s Day

Friday, 7 March 2025 17:01

Ragan Montgomery, managing partner at LCF Law,

With International Women’s Day (IWD) this weekend, Ilkley’s LCF Law has revealed that more than 72% of its firm are female, which includes 63% of its lawyers, after introducing a range of initiatives in recent years to promote gender equality.

This year’s theme for IWD, on Saturday 8th March, is ‘accelerate action’ which aims to speed up the rate of progress towards gender parity. This comes after data from the World Economic Forum revealed at the current rate of progress, it will take until 2158 to reach full gender equality.

Leading Yorkshire law firm, LCF Law employs more than 145 people across offices in Leeds, Bradford, Harrogate and Ilkley and is continually exploring how to increase diversity and equality in its team.

The organisers of IWD are now leading a worldwide call to acknowledge strategies, resources and activity that positively impact women’s advancement, and to support and elevate their implementation.

A key strategy for IWD and ‘accelerate action’ is helping women and girls make informed decisions about their health. LCF Law has a successful well-being team that hosts all types of health-focussed activities spanning everything from mental health and sleep to diet.

The firm is also now offering its team full health checks through a specialist provider that measure and advise on areas including blood pressure, blood sugar levels and cholesterol, as well as identifying potential health risks people could be facing.

Another vital area of activity that IWD has identified for this year focuses on recruiting, retaining and developing diverse talent, as well as supporting women and girls into leadership, decision-making and business roles.

These are all areas where LCF Law has enjoyed major successes in recent years. Wherever possible the firm makes it a priority to continue developing its team so it can promote them into more senior roles and offer clearly defined career pathways, as well as working with recruiters to ensure there is diversity at all levels.

LCF Law’s Ragan Montgomery joined the firm 22 years ago as a one-year qualified solicitor before climbing the ranks to become managing partner last year.

She said:

“There are still significant barriers to gender equality facing women in both their personal and professional lives, but progress is being made, and this can be accelerated with the right strategies and support.

“LCF Law has always been a forward-thinking firm that promotes gender equality, and we’ve all worked hard to create an environment where everyone can be themselves. Having a genuinely diverse team makes us a better firm, with more innovation and different ideas, as well as more ways of thinking. Decision making is therefore more balanced, which results in better customer service and leadership and all this ultimately benefits our business, our team and our clients.”

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