Female Lawyers say Law Firms Still Inflexible
Friday 24 January 2014 @ 8.28 a.m. | Industrial Law | Judiciary, Legal Profession & Procedure
Natasha Walls, head of Women Lawyers Association of NSW, has claimed the profession is failing to offer flexibility, after more than a quarter of the 200 female lawyers surveyed revealed that they still long for work-life balance.
Walls says that the results reveal the profession’s slow progress in this area. While some firms have introduced flexible work policies, these can often come into conflict with the firm's culture.
“[Flexibility] needs to be something that is supported from the top down...that so long as you achieve in your role we will give you the flexibility you need.”
This conflict may be responsible for the high attrition rate of female lawyers, according to Walls. It also suggests that firms are failing to recognize the link between flexibility and financial performance.
According to the survey results, the second most-desired change - desired by more than 24 per cent of respondents - was that women be able to progress unimpeded into leadership positions.
WLANSW is launching a new Women Lawyers Network in response to the results, which is designed to “empower and inspire women to create the career they want”.
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