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Women in law

31 March 2017 / Matthew Kay
Issue: 7740 / Categories: Features , Profession
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Matthew Kay explores the steps being taken to support women within the legal profession

It is not news to anyone in the legal profession that when it comes to the more senior roles, men still dominate. Statistics from PwC show that on average; just 17% of partners in the top 25 law firms are female and in 2016, recruiter Laurence Simons found that 62% of female lawyers felt their gender had hampered their ability to reach senior legal roles.

However, it is not just that women are not being promoted, but leaving the profession altogether. At the start of this year, the International Bar Association (IBA) Legal Policy & Research Unit (LRPU) launched a global investigation into the reasons behind why women are leaving the legal profession. The IBA LRPU is keen to find out the barriers experienced by female lawyers and how the trend could be reversed.

Gender diversity is being talked about like never before, with stories about equal pay and discrimination in the news daily. Just recently it was reported that the

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

Muckle LLP—Rachael Chapman

Muckle LLP—Rachael Chapman

Sports, education and charities practice welcomes senior associate

Ellisons—Carla Jones

Ellisons—Carla Jones

Partner and head of commercial litigation joins in Chelmsford

Freeths—Louise Mahon

Freeths—Louise Mahon

Firm strengthens Glasgow corporate practice with partner hire

NEWS
One in five in-house lawyers suffer ‘high’ or ‘severe’ work-related stress, according to a report by global legal body, the Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC)
The Legal Ombudsman’s (LeO’s) plea for a budget increase has been rejected by the Law Society and accepted only ‘with reluctance’ by conveyancers
Overcrowded prisons, mental health hospitals and immigration centres are failing to meet international and domestic human rights standards, the National Preventive Mechanism (NPM) has warned
Two speedier and more streamlined qualification routes have been launched for probate and conveyancing professionals
Workplace stress was a contributing factor in almost one in eight cases before the employment tribunal last year, indicating its endemic grip on the UK workplace
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