The pendulum has swung at Webb Farry.
Lucia Vincent's promotion to partner means there is now a majority of female partners in the five-partner firm, and it is believed to be the first time that has happened in its history.
Miss Vincent (35) has joined Megan Bartlett, Larna Jensen-McCloy, David Ehlers and Warren Moffat.
The employment law specialist was ''stoked'' to be asked, saying she could not think of better people to be in a partnership with.
As she reflected on her career, Miss Vincent said it was widely acknowledged the percentage of female graduates from law school was not reflected in senior leadership positions in law firms.
There were many reasons for that and for her, personally, she acknowledged she might have struggled to put her name forward for leadership roles in the past because of a lack of confidence.
But she had been blessed to have mentors that had encouraged her, otherwise she might not have done so.
''I don't know for sure, I suspect it may be a trait of women that we all want to be sure we can do the job 80% to 100% before we will actually put our name forward.
''When it comes to women, I think we really don't sell ourselves well. We don't boast about our accomplishments,'' she said.
From a family of seven, Miss Vincent grew up in Southland and North Otago - with a stint in Papua New Guinea where her parents were missionaries - and completed her secondary education at Gore's St Peter's College.
She got into theatre, singing and dancing, with a natural bent towards theatre and English.
In her final year, she was head girl which was a ''neat experience'' and a great opportunity to learn about leadership.
It was a family friend who suggested she apply for the role - she was not going to - and it was the same friend who later spied an advertisement for a job that was to become her first in a law firm.
Given her keen senses of justice, equality and making sure those who were vulnerable had a voice, law was a career that appealed to her.
Performing arts remained a strong interest, and she completed a double degree in law and arts at the University of Otago.
Miss Vincent worked for a public policy ''think-tank'' in Auckland in the law and policy team, researching legal change concerning topical issues that made a difference to New Zealanders.
She returned to Southland and worked at Janet Copeland Law for eight years, initially in Invercargill and then heading up the Dunedin office.
She discovered a love of employment law, an area of law she believed affected everyone in some way and, in October 2015, joined Webb Farry.
It was an exciting time to be in employment law and it was an area that dealt with a time of ''real need'' for people.
People spent a great deal of their lives at work and, if something went wrong, it was a ''big deal''. There were not only financial consequences, but also an emotional toll.
''I feel really blessed to have the opportunity to do what I do,'' she said.
Miss Vincent is convener of the employment law committee for the Otago branch of the New Zealand Law Society, and was also recently elected to the employment law committee for the New Zealand Law Society.
It was not just the legal profession that was affected by the gender inequality in leadership positions, Miss Vincent said.
Webb Farry's team was delighted to see Jacinda Ardern elected Prime Minister and then announce her pregnancy.
That said ''you can be Prime Minister and have a baby'', Miss Vincent said. She wanted other women to see that and to encourage young women herself.
She was inspired by the likes of Chief Justice of New Zealand Dame Sian Elias, Court of Appeal judge Justice Christine French, and Employment Court Chief Judge Christina Inglis.
Miss Vincent was encouraged by some of the ''real courage'' being shown in light of recent reports concerning sexual harassment in the legal profession.
There was an acknowledgement there was a problem and a desire to fix it and open up dialogue, to get ideas flowing about how to improve workplaces for everyone, she said.
Early on in her career, Miss Vincent decided she needed to keep active to stay healthy, as she had an office job.
She had always enjoyed running, but while struggling with injury, she also took up swimming and cycling.
Her first triathlon was in Gore about five years ago, and she became ''addicted'' to multisport.
Last year, she was selected for the New Zealand team in the age-group world triathlon championships in the Netherlands, where she finished 49th in a field of 79.
Living in Dunedin suited her active lifestyle; she could be out on her cycle by 6am and back and ready for work at 8.30am.
Miss Vincent is also a board member of the Theatre in Health Education Trust (THETA), which uses applied theatre to inform young people to make good choices about their health.
