Ashurst has become the first leading U.K. law firm to introduce a quota for the number of women it wants to employ in management positions, with the London firm aiming to have one quarter of its management posts filled by women within the next three years. The target has been introduced by the Ashurst Committee, which was created at the start of 2011 by senior partner Charlie Geffen and global head of corporate Stephen Lloyd with the intention of improving the retention of female lawyers. The quota will apply across leadership positions including practice group heads, regional heads and the firm's management board, as well as applying to various partnership committees, such as those dealing with remuneration and partner promotions. However, the firm expects the quota to apply as a percentage of all of the available positions and will not insist that women manage, for example, one quarter of the firm's practice groups. The quota will also not apply to annual partnership promotion rounds.