“It’s not just a moral necessity, it’s fundamental to how solicitors serve society”

On 20 September, I. Stephanie Boyce joined former US secretary of state and lawyer Hillary Rodham Clinton to discuss women in leadership.

The session was part of an afternoon of events run by accelerateHER at London Tech Week, spotlighting the most exciting women founders and tech leaders championing diversity and inclusion in tech and business.

accelerateHER is a global events series and network bringing together a group of exceptional entrepreneurs, CEOs and global thought leaders.

The session covered:

• the impact of COVID-19 on women
• the role of women in building a more sustainable future
• diversity and inclusion – how far we’ve come and how much further we have to go

The panellists also shared their personal experiences and perspectives on leadership.

Stephanie said, "when I became president of the Law Society earlier this year, I said I wanted to leave the profession more diverse and inclusive than the one I entered. This is not just a moral necessity, but fundamental to how solicitors serve society.

"Ultimately, a diverse and inclusive legal profession is vital to ensure that we lawyers reflect the communities that we serve, so let's do all we can to build one."

The Law Society is committed to championing diversity, inclusion and social mobility in the legal profession, and this is reflected in Stephanie’s plan for her year as Law Society president.

We have also partnered with the Bar Council of England and Wales and the Chartered Institute of Legal Executives (CILEx) to launch the Women in Law Pledge to bring gender equality to the forefront of the conversation.

The pledge was launched as part of our Women in Leadership in Law campaign.