2024 International Women’s Day March 8, 2024 ARTICLES International Women’s Day 2024 – Friday, 8 March 2024 See our press release here VIEW ARTICLE In celebration of International Women’s Day, AWL wishes to congratulate the women lawyers who have been appointed to judicial office in the past year. Equality and diversity are essential elements at all levels of the legal profession including at the decision-making level. View our statement here. The post 2024 International Women’s Day appeared first on Australian Women Lawyers Ltd ..read more

AWL announces new Patron February 5, 2024 ARTICLES AWL announces new patron – see our press release here VIEW ARTICLE 2024 – AWL Media Release – Our New Patron The post AWL announces new patron appeared first on Australian Women Lawyers Ltd ..read more

AWL COMMENTS ON THE BENEFITS AND DETRIMENTS OF FLEXIBLE WORKING June 14, 2023 ARTICLES AWL COMMENTS ON THE BENEFITS AND DETRIMENTS OF FLEXIBLE WORKING VIEW ARTICLE After recent claims that the current school hours are “sexist” and rely on the fact that women are responsible for the school pick-up, are nine-to-five working hours similar — and do these hours negatively affect female lawyers and their career trajectory? An NSW-based politician recently made headlines across the nation after arguing that school hours should be extended until 6pm — and that the current nine-to-three school ho ..read more

AWL COMMENTS ON FUNDING COMMITMENT TO IMPROVE SEXUAL ASSAULT LAWS May 2, 2023 ARTICLES AWL COMMENTS ON FUNDING COMMITMENT TO IMPROVE SEXUAL ASSAULT LAWS VIEW ARTICLE Federal Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus has committed $14.7 million to improving sexual assault laws and the justice system’s response to victims of sexual violence. The president of Australian Women Lawyers (AWL), and the president of the Law Council of Australia (LCA) commented on the announcement. The post AWL COMMENTS ON FUNDING COMMITMENT TO IMPROVE SEXUAL ASSAULT LAWS appeared first on Australian Women Lawyers Ltd ..read more

AWL COMMENTS ON THE APPOINTMENT OF THE COUNTRY’S FIRST FEMALE FEDERAL COURT CHIEF JUSTICE March 31, 2023 ARTICLES AWL COMMENTS ON THE APPOINTMENT OF THE COUNTRY’S FIRST FEMALE FEDERAL COURT CHIEF JUSTICE VIEW ARTICLE The Prime Minister and Attorney-General have today announced the new chief justice of the Federal Court of Australia. In a statement earlier today (Friday, 31 March), Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus said that Governor-General David Hurley had accepted the federal government’s advice to appoint the Honourable Justice Debra Mortimer (pictured ..read more

AWL COMMENTS ON THE GENDERED EFFECTS OF INFLATION IN THE LEGAL PROFESSION March 29, 2023 ARTICLES AWL COMMENTS ON THE GENDERED EFFECTS OF INFLATION IN THE LEGAL PROFESSION VIEW ARTICLE With the cost of living continuing to rise and a potential recession on the horizon, inflation has been revealed to disproportionately impact women — and employers have been urged to take proactive steps in response to this. The World Economic Forum has recently reported that women fare worse in inflation than their male counterparts, earning less on average, being less likely to be able to work more hours ..read more

INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY 2023 (IWD) March 8, 2023 ARTICLES INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY 2023 (IWD) VIEW ARTICLE As is tradition, Australian Women Lawyers Ltd. (AWL) wishes to congratulate and celebrate the women lawyers who have been appointed to the highest positions in our profession during the past 12 months. In the face of global and local uncertainty and challenges it is more important than ever that those leading our profession reflect the diversity that exists in our communities. AWL welcomes this year’s IWD theme ‘DigitALL: Innovation and technology for gender equality,’ noting tha ..read more

WOMEN NOW A MAJORITY OF IN-HOUSE COUNSEL, BUT STILL FACE PAY GAP December 23, 2022 ARTICLES WOMEN NOW A MAJORITY OF IN-HOUSE COUNSEL, BUT STILL FACE PAY GAP VIEW ARTICLE According to this article by Felicity Nelson which appeared in Lawyers Weekly on 5 November 2015, while the majority of Australian in-house counsel are women, a new study has shown that most still earn less than men. The Association of Corporate Counsel’s (ACC’s) global census report, released in October, revealed a persistent pay gap between male and female in-house lawyers in Australia and around the world. Data from t ..read more

AUGUST 2022 – AWL CONFERENCE NEWS AND AG SPEECH TO AWL CONFERENCE December 15, 2022 ARTICLES AWL Conference News and AG Speech to AWL Conference: VIEW ARTICLE https://www.lawyersweekly.com.au/wig-chamber/35155-much-has-been-achieved-towards-equality-but-barriers-remain-kiefel-cj (Her Honour’s speech is available here: https://www.hcourt.gov.au/publications/speeches/current/speeches-by-chief-justice-kiefel-ac) https://www.lawyersweekly.com.au/politics/35180-a-g-only-a-fraction-of-funding-for-women-s-legal-services-was-delivered-last-yearhttps://liv.asn.au/Web/Law_Institute_Journal_an ..read more

Time for Equal Access in Discrimination Claims April 23, 2023 ARTICLES Time for Equal Access in Discrimination Claims VIEW ARTICLE Time for equal access in discrimination claims We all deserve to be safe at work and free from discrimination and sexual harassment. While sexual harassment is pervasive across all industries and all employment levels in Australia, it is not inevitable. The Australian Government has the power to prevent discrimination and sexual harassment by adopting an equal access costs model to ensure that people who are harmed can access justice and achieve fair outcomes ..read more