In September 2014, Women Lawyers of Western Australia Inc. released its 20th Anniversary Review of the 1994 Report of the Chief Justice’s Taskforce on Gender Bias (known as the 2014 Gender Bias Review Report or GBRR). Chapter 2 of the GBRR deals with ‘Career Paths for Women in the Legal Profession’. It contains a total of 42 recommendations covering:
- Women in academia
- Graduates/articled clerks
- Practice issues facing women
- Maternity leave
- Large commercial law firms
- Sexual harassment
- Women at the Bar
- Gender bias in the office of the DPP and SSO
- Conditions of work including salaries and drawings
- Availability of career support
- The changed culture of the profession
- Women leaders in the law
The contents of the Law Society’s Final Directions Paper identifies the opportunities between the actions taken by the Law Society and the recommendations in chapter 2, as well as make practical proposals for the Law Society to progress in accordance with the recommendations.
This report is timely in terms of developing a plan to address the Law Society’s strategic campaign of ‘Diversity and Inclusion’, as well as the objectives of the Law Council of Australia’s ‘Inclusiveness and Diversity’ Programme.
The Final Directions Paper is now available.
