Posted Thursday 5th March 2020
As we approach International Women’s Day 2020, we have interviewed some of our staff members to get an insight on what it’s like for women in the legal industry. Read below the responses from Jo Gregory (Partner, Litigation & Dispute Resolution), Gayle Hawke (Associate, Corporate & Commercial), Andrew Clissold (Partner, Real Estate) and Katri Kaikkonen (Trainee Solicitor).
Jo: “I was always interested in argument! More importantly how to develop an argument and be persuasive. This was nurtured and developed by a fantastic lawyer at my previous firm. I applied to Joelson as it gave me the opportunity to build a practice from scratch. That was super exciting!”
Gayle: “From a young age I have always wanted to be a lawyer. I applied to work at Joelson because of the high calibre of clients and the friendly, flexible and supportive culture the firm has.”
Katri: “I wanted a career that offers plenty of intellectual challenge, client contact and the possibility to be both practical and creative in finding the right solution to each unique set of circumstances. Joelson’s size, location and practice areas all suited my career aspirations, and from my very first interview I knew that the firm would be a great fit for my personality and values.”
Jo: “Challenging at times, but as time marches on, you can see the barriers begin to fall away.”
Gayle: “I have personally found that women tend to hold the majority of fee-earning roles within the legal workforce, but this majority sharply declines when comparing this to the number of women that proceed to Partnership.”
Katri: “Despite law being traditionally thought of as a male-dominated field, I actually feel that the legal industry is becoming increasingly female. At Joelson, myself and our current first year trainee are both female, and our trainees for next year also happen to all be female. Even at my university, the majority of the law students were women.”
Andrew: “As a sector, we are slowly making progress and that can be seen in the most recent data. I think further progress will be made in the coming year and hopefully this will continue for the years ahead.”
Gayle: “I think (and hope) that we will continue to see more women taking on Partnership positions.”
Jo: “Flexibility in the workplace. Women often need to achieve a work life balance especially when they have parental responsibilities and then leave the profession when they can’t achieve that. Law firms and the sector generally need to positively embrace flexibility and champion it, if gender balance is going to be achieved.”
Gayle: “From my experience I do not think there are barriers to employment, but perhaps barriers to Partnership if you were to look at the ratio of male to female partners in law firms.”
Katri: “With less and less distinguished gender roles in modern society, women who choose to follow a more ‘traditional’ (for lack of a better word) female model, by for instance choosing to be their children’s primary caregiver, may still struggle to find the right balance between their career and family life. With limited part-time and flexible working arrangements available, a legal career may still be somewhat out of reach for women who have a lot more going on in their lives besides work.”
Jo: “Yes, I do think that there is still a “glass ceiling” for women across certain aspects of the legal sector. However, I do feel that the increased awareness across the sector of the importance of gender balance and the implementation of measures to achieve this should begin to lift the “glass ceiling” in the medium term.”
Gayle: “At Joelson it doesn’t (our current Managing Partner is female!) but I can imagine it may exist in other firms.”
Andrew: “In my view, as a sector, the key is to grow the number of women at senior level in law firms. Progress is being made but there is more work to be done.”
Gayle: “For me employment is not the issue, it is the progression to Partnership that more women should be encouraged to go for.”
Jo: “It is a wonderful and exciting profession to be in. Times are changing. Gender balance will be achieved. Be confident, have courage in your conviction and shine.”
Katri: “Some young women tend to shy away from being too proactive in the workplace, fearing that displaying self-confidence or taking too much initiative may come across as overly assertive. For me, a healthy amount of confidence – provided this is displayed the right way and combined with the necessary legal acumen – is the best way to shed any colleagues’ doubts surrounding one’s capability to independently handle matters or interact with clients.”
Jo: “In my view, achieving sufficient flexibility so that women feel they can achieve and progress whilst having a home life.”
Gayle: “My worry is with the increasing spotlight in this area that women may be offered positions (for example like Partnership) to “tick a box” for the firm they work for, not because the firm values their skills and contribution.”
Jo: “The importance of “switching off” in the evenings/weekends and ensuring that you have a true work/life balance. A law career can be ‘all- consuming’.”
Katri: “That you do not have to fit the stereotype of whatever anyone may think a lawyer should be like! There are plenty of opportunities to let your personality shine through, and I’m glad I realised this early on as I was almost put off by a career in law due to an unfounded concern of not being able to fit in.”
Gayle: “Not as much as I probably should! But that is my choice, I love my job so I think it’s natural to spend a lot of time focusing on something you enjoy, and Joelson encourages its employees to make use of its agile working hours and annual leave as much as possible which is great.”
Katri: “I have a very active social life and I thrive on meeting people and exploring new places. To re-energise, I need to take at least one solo trip each year, where I unleash my inner hippie for a while.”
Gayle: “I am not sure if other women have been told this, but I have read on many occasions about “Women can have it all, just not at the same time”. However, I have had the pleasure of working with a female Partner who (from my perspective) did have it all at the same time, and if she can then why not me?”
Katri: “Any professional woman who despite all odds (whether it may be due to society or industry norms) managed to reach the top of their field. One workplace and industry at a time, these women have allowed so many other women across the world to not have their ability or credibility questioned simply because of their gender.”
This article is for reference purposes only. It does not constitute legal advice and should not be relied upon as such. Specific legal advice about your specific circumstances should always be sought separately before taking or deciding not to take any action.
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