Practical toolkit for women in law
In 2019, we launched our global report on gender equality in the legal profession, Advocating for change: transforming the future of the legal profession through greater gender equality.
One of the key findings was the importance of the significant role of law societies and bar associations in supporting women in law and transformative change within their own jurisdictions.
This joint report:
- reinforces the findings of the 2019 report that there are still considerable challenges for women’s progression in the legal profession
- suggests a series of activities that can help strengthen the work of organisations to support women in the law
This report has been researched and was written under extraordinary circumstances created by the global COVID-19 pandemic.
In addition to the struggle to achieve greater gender equality, women around the world are currently facing an unparalleled set of challenges.
The report provides practical advice, including:
- making a modest start
- drawing from the experiences of other women’s groups or chapters within bar associations
- using free resources
- finding champions
- thinking long term
The types of suggested activities described in the report range from events aimed at women returners to networking events through to mentoring.
The report lists a range of organisations, both national and international, from around the world, including a summary of their activities.
The annexes provide ‘how to’ resources, which:
- give information on setting up a chapter within a large law firm (including a draft questionnaire)
- advise on how to run an effective roundtable
- provide a template ‘Women in Law Pledge’, for amendment to fit particular jurisdictions
In March 2022, we published a Spanish translation of the report.