header-logo header-logo

Should it matter?

27 April 2012 / Francesca Kaye
Issue: 7511 / Categories: Opinion , Profession
printer mail-detail

The LSLA’s first female president Francesca Kaye considers the interest surrounding her appointment

In 2012 you would hope that the fact that the president of an association such as the London Solicitors Litigation Association (LSLA) was a woman was of little or no interest or consequence. The fact that it is reflects poorly on the state of equality and diversity in the world of litigation.

The LSLA elects its presidents on merit and judges them on their record over their two years in office. That is how it should be. The president’s gender is not (and should not be) a factor in the election process.

Women in the legal profession

There is a fair amount of soul-searching currently about the role and status of women in the legal profession. Last month, the Law Society and LexisNexis unveiled the results of a survey on Women in the Law for the Law Society’s International Women in Law Summit, held on International Women’s Day (see “Tackling female brain drain”). The Ministry of Justice (MoJ)

If you are not a subscriber, subscribe now to read this content
If you are already a subscriber sign in
...or Register for two weeks' free access to subscriber content

MOVERS & SHAKERS

Carey Olsen—Kim Paiva

Carey Olsen—Kim Paiva

Group partner joins Guernsey banking and finance practice

Morgan Lewis—Kat Gibson

Morgan Lewis—Kat Gibson

London labour and employment team announces partner hire

Foot Anstey McKees—Chris Milligan & Michael Kelly

Foot Anstey McKees—Chris Milligan & Michael Kelly

Double partner appointment marks Belfast expansion

NEWS
The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has not done enough to protect the future sustainability of the legal aid market, MPs have warned
Writing in NLJ this week, NLJ columnist Dominic Regan surveys a landscape marked by leapfrog appeals, costs skirmishes and notable retirements. With an appeal in Mazur due to be heard next month, Regan notes that uncertainties remain over who will intervene, and hopes for the involvement of the Lady Chief Justice and the Master of the Rolls in deciding the all-important outcome
After the Southport murders and the misinformation that followed, contempt of court law has come under intense scrutiny. In this week's NLJ, Lawrence McNamara and Lauren Schaefer of the Law Commission unpack proposals aimed at restoring clarity without sacrificing fair trial rights
The latest Home Office figures confirm that stop and search remains both controversial and diminished. Writing in NLJ this week, Neil Parpworth of De Montfort University analyses data showing historically low use of s 1 PACE powers, with drugs searches dominating what remains
Boris Johnson’s 2019 attempt to shut down Parliament remains a constitutional cautionary tale. The move, framed as a routine exercise of the royal prerogative, was in truth an extraordinary effort to sideline Parliament at the height of the Brexit crisis. Writing in NLJ this week, Professor Graham Zellick KC dissects how prorogation was wrongly assumed to be beyond judicial scrutiny, only for the Supreme Court to intervene unanimously
back-to-top-scroll