1. Executing Women's Initiatives within Firms
31 January 2011
The Sebel, Surry Hills
Helen McKenzie
Deputy Managing Partner
Blake Dawson
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2. Driving change for women
Driving change for women in the legal profession and
beyond: the role firms can play
What's the imperative?
What's the vision?
How can we get there?
Where are we up to?
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3. What's the imperative?
• Majority of law graduates are female
• Blake Dawson is a major employer of women
• Responsibility to create an environment where women can
reach their full potential with Blake Dawson (and beyond)
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4. What's our vision?
• For the firm
• Legal profession
• Business community & economy
SLIDE 4
5. What can firms do?
The issue of women in leadership and indeed women
reaching their full potential is a complex one – it
involves issues at various levels: personal,
organisation and societal.
As major employers of women firms need to be
active in all 3 domains.
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6. What role can firms play?
Organisational
• Policies
• Practices
• Workplace culture
• Career development & support (L&D, coaching & mentoring)
Personal
• Recognises and supports individual choice
• Build resilience
• Help women develop flexible skill sets
• Prepare and support them at challenging times
Societal
• Thought leadership (eg AHRC secondment)
• Journal articles (snapshot of "Why gender still an issue")
• Government lobbying eg Taskforce on carer's costs, treasury submissions on cost of
childcare & tax issues
• Profession – opportunities to work collaboratively; provides speakers to Law Society
and other professional forums; share policy and experience; support local and national
Women Lawyers Associations and University law societies etc.
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7. What gets in the way?
Realities Issues/Perceptions
• Client expectations – 24/7 • Assumptions about "the ideal
availability partner" – this can lead to
• Building and sustaining a some questions about
profitable practice takes time commitment/dedication
• Building a team (again & required
again) • Concepts of presenteeism –
• Individual career ambitions a challenge (still) despite
technology being a great
changing over time
enabler
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8. Our approach
• Our firm's gender diversity work is focused on driving
change internally and externally
• Key elements:
• Explicit leadership support
• Diverse role models
• Values driven culture
• Engagement (at all levels)
• Resilience (at all levels)
• Strong relationships – key to most challenges
• Mentoring – organic is best
SLIDE 8
9. A snapshot of our firm
Tokyo
Shanghai [As at December 2010]
Male Female Flexible
workers %
Partner 131 39 6%
Singapore Special 13 13 46%
Counsel
Jakarta Port Moresby
Associated office
Senior 99 119 17%
Associate
Lawyer 102 155 2%
Brisbane Support 115 468 28%
Perth
Adelaide Sydney
Melbourne Canberra TOTAL 460 794 18%
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10. How are we tracking?
• Female Equity Partner numbers increased from 21% to 24% in 12
months to December 2010 (lead the top tier).
• Female partner appointments (internal promotions) have averaged
40% each year over last 5 years (36.4% in 2010).
• Our 'Women in Leadership' program which includes internal and
external programs is active and included a secondment to AHRC
in early 2010 and Sex Discrimination Commissioner speaking to
over 100 NEDs at a major firm event in December 2010.
• Our on-boarding, women's mentoring, flexible work and talent
management programs are well established.
• We have reviewed our Paid Parental Leave policy.
• Mentoring programs active and supported (all levels).
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11. Next steps?
• There is much we still need to do!
• Partner mentoring programs need to be increasingly
gender focused.
• More training on managing flexible work effectively (all
levels).
• Ongoing engagement with clients and the business
community.
• Leadership within the legal profession.
• Review and align strategy to vision (eg refine People
Strategy, Diversity Plan and Women in Leadership
program).
SLIDE 11
