Designing Gender Equality into the Future of Law: Final Report

Abstract

The legal profession has undergone profound transformation over the past two decades, 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. The COVID-19 pandemic spurred further integration of new technologies, and challenged long-held norms in relation to how and where lawyers should work. Collectively, these changes are occurring against a backdrop of persistent gendered inequality. It should be noted that there have been substantial improvements in women's numerical representation in the legal profession. Under current NSWLS leadership, a 20-year trend toward convergence in men's and women's participation in the Australian legal profession has been realised. For example, women now outnumber men in the legal profession in all states and territories across Australia, and in New South Wales, female solicitors have outnumbered male solicitors for a sixth consecutive year. While women remain under-represented in senior leadership roles including as partners, principals, barristers, and judicial members, over one third (35%) of private practice partners/principals in New South Wales are now women. In corporate and government legal roles, there is now an even split between women and men in senior roles. Numerical dominance aside, issues of gendered discrimination, disrespect, and harassment remain stubbornly entrenched in the profession.