Top lawyers set agenda for change at International
Women's Day summit
Women lawyers from around the world will address the
reasons why the top of the legal sector remains predominantly
male, at a Law Society summit next month.
The Law Society will mark International Women's Day 2012
with the summit at Chancery Lane on March 8.
This global celebration highlights the economic, political
and social achievements of women as well as raising awareness of
inequalities that remain.
The summit promises to be inspiring and topical with high
profile keynote speakers coming together to identify and address
the barriers to women's career progression and create a manifesto
to act as a catalyst for change.
Whilst the number of women entering the legal profession
has steadily increased, the top of the legal sector remains largely
male-dominated with the perception that high status roles can only
be achieved at the sacrifice of personal values and family
relationships.
Law Society studies identified several barriers to success
which include issues of organisational culture, outdated
perceptions of the roles that women fulfil, resistance to
contemporary management practices and a shortage of female role
models.
Despite the immense progress since the first International
Women's Day in 1911-at which time women could not become
solicitors at all-- women still face unequal pay compared to men,
are not represented equally in business or politics, and on a
global scale, experience greater violence and poorer education and
health.
Law Society president John Wotton said the Law Society is
committed to helping break down the career barriers faced by women
lawyers.
“Through our initiatives, we present a business case
to firms for flexible working. We are asking: 'Can you afford
to invest time and money in someone's career and training, and yet
risk losing them before they can achieve their full potential for
your firm?
“Major strides have already been made by women in
the legal profession and that progress needs to be reinforced.
Events like this summit are proof that the drive for change is ever
present and I am confident that the profession will take it on
board.”
The summit is being jointly organised by the Law Society
of England and Wales and the USA based National Association of
Women Lawyers (NAWL). It is supported by the Association of Women
Solicitors (AWS) and Catalyst and sponsored by LexisNexis.
Ends
Journalists, for more information or to attend the summit,
please contact Rebecca Kiernan on 020 7316 5592.
On 8 March, The Law Society will be hosting a summit to
celebrate International Women's Day. A pre-summit networking dinner
will take place on 7 March. More information can be found on the website.
For full details of the Law Society's equality anddiversity work
http://www.lexisnexis.co.uk/
http://www.nawl.org/
http://www.womensolicitors.org.uk/
http://www.catalyst.org/