One cheer for Simon Davies, managing partner at Linklaters, who concedes that diversity is now "a business need". But a boo for his stereotyping of women lawyers, who, he says, might understand the impact on families of large job losses better than their male counterparts.

The business need to get the job done successfully and efficiently remains. Tight deadlines still apply and conspire against any employee who puts the demands of home above those of the office. That is unlikely to change as long as a chief executive such as Indra Nooyi of PepsiCo insists on full power from advisers working on her deals.