Gender Equality and the Future of the Legal Profession

Abstract

The legal profession is undergoing profound transformation, driven by new technologies and forms of legal service delivery that are upending the traditional organisation of legal work. These changes are disrupting career pathways and requiring lawyers to rethink the skills that will be required for future success. These changes are also occurring against a backdrop of existing gendered inequality, characterised by the persistent underrepresentation of women in senior leadership roles and, among other things, women’s disproportionate experience of harassment and workplace disrespect. The legal profession thus faces a challenge: how to harness and incorporate new innovations without further embedding gendered inequalities at work.