Women Lawyers of Western Australia Without Prejudice Bi-annual Newsletter Winter Edition 2015
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This newsletter provides updates from the Women Lawyers of Western Australia (WLWA) organization. It discusses the transition to a new president, Tina McAulay, successful events held by WLWA including the Honours Dinner and Meet the Silks event, and upcoming events. It also summarizes the recommendations from the 20th Anniversary Review of the 1994 Report on Gender Bias and encourages members to get involved in implementing changes.
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Women Lawyers of Western Australia Without Prejudice Bi-annual Newsletter Winter Edition 2015
- 1. !Just!added!you!into!the!STAR!2016!group! ! ! !!!!!!!!!!!!June!2015!Newsletter! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! WITHOUT PREJUDICE Making!it!Happen!–!The!Implementation!Phase! Email:!!!!! enquiry@wlwa.asn.au! Facebook:!! https://www.facebook.com/!womenlawyersofwesternaustralia! Website:!! www.wlwa.asn.au! ! Address:!! PO!Box!Z5330! ! LinkedIn:!! Search!“Women Lawyers!of!Western!Australia!Inc”! !!!!!!!!!! ! Perth,!WA,!6831!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !
- 2. ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! Welcome!to!the!Winter!2015!edition!of!Without'Prejudice,!the!official!newsletter!of!Women!Lawyers!of! Western!Australia!Inc.!!We!haven’t!produced!a!Newsletter!in!a!long!time!so!we!hope!you!find!time!to! read! this! important,! yet! lengthy! edition.!! We! have! listened! to! your! feedback! and! have! decided! to! change!the!format!our!newsletters!from!now!on.!Keep!an!eye!out,!as!from!August!we!will!be!producing! a!shorter!newsletter!every!three!months!in!order!to!give!you!more!value!for!your!membership.!!Watch! this!space!! During!the!last!year!we!have!seen!significant!change!at!WLWA!with!the!departure!of!immediate!past! president,!Cathryn!Greville.!We!thank!Cathryn!for!her!continuing!support!of!WLWA,!and!welcome!new! president,!Tina!McAulay.!To!celebrate!International!Women’s!Day!I!sat!down!with!Tina!and!discussed! her!new!role!and!the!preparations!involved!in!presiding!over!the!WLWA!Honours!Dinner.!! The!WLWA!Honours!Dinner,!our!annual!black!tie!event,!had!close!to!200!people!in!attendance!this!year.! We!were!thrilled!to!acknowledge!the!appointment!of!Her!Excellency!the!Honourable!Kerry!Sanderson! AO!(Governor)!and!to!honour!the!new!appointees!to!the!bench!Her!Honour!Judge!Vicki!Laura!Stewart! (District! Court),! Her! Honour! Magistrate! Ciara! Tyson! (Family! Court),! Member! Karen! Whitney! (State! Administrative!Tribunal)!and!Member!Hannah!Leslie!(State!Administrative!Tribunal).!We!spoke!to!some! of!the!recipients!of!the!2015!Woman!Lawyer!of!the!Year!Awards!and!the!Aboriginal!Women's!Legal! Education!Trust!Scholarship!and!congratulate!all!nominees!on!their!wellfdeserved!achievements.!! WLWA!thanks!all!of!you!who!attended!the!event!and!everyone!who!donated!funds!on!the!night!for! implementing!the!recommendations!made!in!the!20 th !Anniversary!Review!of!the!1994!Chief!Justice’s! Gender!Bias!Taskforce!Report!released!in!September!2014!(2014!Review!Report).!Next!year’s!Honours! Dinner! will! be! on! 11!March! 2016,! so! be! sure! to! save! the! date! in! your! diaries!! As! a! notfforfprofit! organisation,!we!rely!on!sponsorship!for!this!event.!If!you,!your!firm!or!someone!you!know!is!interested! in!sponsoring!the!dinner,!please!let!us!know.!! WLWA!was!excited!to!run!a!number!of!successful!events!over!this!period.!I!attended!the!Australian! Women!Lawyers!Conference!in!Adelaide!in!October!2014!with!a!number!of!other!WLWA!scholarship! and!provide!a!full!review!in!this!edition!of!the!newsletter.!I!encourage!all!of!you!to!attend!the!next!AWL! Conference!which!will!be!in!Perth!in!2016.!This!edition!also!includes!reviews!of!the!WLWA!Christmas! Function,! Meet! the! Silks! and! Women! Lawyers! High! Tea.! Despite! advances! in! technology,! WLWA! believes!that!the!best!form!of!communication!still!takes!place!face!to!face!and!encourage!all!members! to!attend!our!social!and!CPD!Events!coming!up!in!the!second!half!of!2015,!including!WLWA’s!exciting! membership! event,! Winter! Fashion! Wonder,! a! great! excuse! for! members! to! socialise,! network! and! shop.!Committee!members!will!be!on!hand!to!help!both!old!and!new!members!register!online.!! I!also!encourage!each!of!you!to!drag!yourself!away!from!your!desk,!brighten!the!last!Tuesday!of!each! month!by!attending!one!of!our!very!informal!networking!lunches!held!at!Reveley’s!Café,!located!at!the! BGC!Centre.!My!involvement!in!WLWA!stemmed!from!attending!one!of!these!networking!lunches!and!I! am!personally!grateful!for!the!support!shown!by!former!WLWA!Presidents!Cathryn!Greville!and!Elspeth! Hensler!by!encouraging!me!to!become!involved!and!nominate!for!the!Committee.!! ! WLWA! 2014/2015!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Committee! ! Executive! President! Tina!McAulay! Vice!President! Anne!Wood! Treasurer! Susan!Diamond! Secretary! Acacia!Hosking! ! E l e c t e d ! M e m b e r s ! Tara!Connolly! Jane!Ensor! Catherine!Fletcher!! Jessica!Henderson! Shannon!Mony!! Jessica!Stokes! ! C o f o p t e d ! M e m b e r s ! Rebecca!DaveyMegan! McCormack!! Prue!Myers!! Frieda!Orr! Emma!Tormey!! ! Email! enquiry@wlwa.asn.au ! W e b s i t e ! www.wlwa.asn.au! ! ! D i s c l a i m e r : ! ! ! This!newsletter!is! intended!to!keep!readers! abreast!of!current! developments.!It!is!not! however,!to!be!used!or! relied!upon!as!a!substitute! for!professional!advice.! Before!acting!on!any! matter!detailed!in!this! newsletter!readers!should! discuss!matters!with!their! own!professional!advisers.! Articles!produced!in!this! newsletter!are!!the! opinions!and!observations! of!the!author!and!not!of! the!WLWA.!! Editor’s!Note! ' Jessica'Stokes'' Editor' WLWA'Committee'member' (i)
- 3. ! The! theme! of! this! newsletter’s! edition! is! “Making! it! Happen! f! The!Implementation!Phase”!in!support!of!International!Woman’s! Day!2015!and!the!release!of!the!Executive!Summary!of!the!2014! Review! Report! on! 6! March! 2015.! This! theme! was! chosen! to! highlight!the!importance!of!a!period!of!change!for!WLWA!and! the! rest! of! the! legal! community! as! we! act! on! the! 197! recommendations! to! government! agencies,! organisations! and! groups,! including! the! Law! Society! and! the! Western! Australian! Bar!Association.!The!Executive!Summary!highlights!some!of!the! most!important!recommendations.!WLWA!encourages!members! to! look! at! the! recommendations! on! that! affect! you! and! start! implementing!the!changes.!You!can!read!the!Executive!Summary! for!the!2014!Review!Report!and!the!Media!Release!published!by! WLWA!on!6!March!2015!on!our!website!www.wlwa.asn.au.!! If! you! would! like! to! comment! on! the! Executive! Summary! or! contribute! to! the! implementation! of! the! recommendations! in! the! 2014! Review! Report,! please! contact! us! by! email! at! enquiry@wlwa.asn.au! and! let! us! know! what! your! area! of! interest! is,! and! how! you! would! like! to! contribute.! WLWA! has! been! consulting! with! organisations! mentioned! in! the! recommendations!and!are!very!grateful!to!the!Hon.!Chief!Wayne! Stewart! Martin! AC,! Matthew! Keogh! (Law! Society! President),! Nicholas! Van! Hattem! (Founder! of! Piddington! Society)! and! Conrad!Liveris!(Equal!opportunity!advocate)!for!providing!their! views!on!diversity!in!the!legal!community.!! As! Chair! of! the! Communications! Working! Group! I! can! confirm! that!we!have!been!extremely!busy!this!year!with!the!creation!of! a! Facebook,! LinkedIn! and! Twitter! account! on! top! of! our! email! blasts!to!members!and!bifannual!newsletters.!I!encourage!all!of! you!to!connect!with!WLWA!online!to!receive!real!time!updates! and! member! benefits.! WLWA! is! offering! ! new! ways! to! communicate!with!members!and!for!members!to!communicate! with!each!other.!!Social!media!marketing!is!a!fast,!affordable!way! to!communicate,!however!it!is!competitive!and!always!evolving! and! we! hope! you! can! support! us! in! this! new! space! by! commenting,!liking!and!sharing!our!posts.!! I!hope!you!enjoy!this!newsletter.!Please!let!me!know!what!you! would!like!to!see!in!the!next!edition!! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! Meet!the!Silks!Event,!2015!Ryan!Tozer,!Jessica!Courtney,!Anna!Crosby! and!Laura!Groves,!photo!provided!by!Jessica!P!Stokes!Photography! ! ! ! ! Meet!the!Silks!Event!2015,!Christine!Wheeler!and!Jasmine!Sims photo! provided!by!Jessica!P!Stokes!Photography! ! ! ! Honours!Dinner!2015,!Susan!Diamond,!Anne!Wood,!Tina!McAulay,!photo! provided!by!Will!Russell! ! ! ! ! ! (ii)
- 5. ! ! ! ! REPORTS! President’s!Report! ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' Photo'provided'by'Tina'McAulay' ' Tina'McAulay' President' As!this!is!my!first!formal!President’s!Report,!I’d!like!to!thank!you! for! your! support! in! my! leadership! of! Women! Lawyers! WA.! ! Of! course! I! have! to! thank! our! immediate! past! President,! Cathryn! Greville,! for! all! of! her! organisation,! hard! work! and! strong! foundations.!!Without!the!continued!support!of!our!members!and! past! Presidents,! WLWA! would! not! be! able! to! continue! our! importance!in!the!Profession.! I!would!like!to!say!thank!you!to!our!outgoing!committee!members! for!their!dedication,!hard!work!and!service!to!our!Association!and! standing!up!for!Women!in!the!law:!!Cathryn!Greville!(immediate! past! President),! Natalie! Graskoski! (immediate! past! Secretary),! Anne!Lopez!(immediate!past!Treasurer),!Janette!McCahon,!Emily! Mills,! Gayann! Walker,! Sophie! Everatt! and! Elspeth! Hensler! and! Claudia!Maw.! I! would! also! like! to! formally! introduce! and! welcome! our! new! committee:! Anne! Wood! (Vice! President),! Susan! Diamond! (Treasurer),!Acacia!Hosking!(Secretary),!Tara!Connolly,!Catherine! Fletcher,!Shannon!Mony,!Jessica!Henderson,!Jessica!Stokes,!Emma! Tormey,! Prue! Meyers,! Jane! Ensor,! Rebecca! Davey,! Megan! McCormack,! Jodie! Moffat! and! Frieda! Orr.! ! Our! committee! is! diverse,! with! representation! from! senior! lawyers! to! students,! in! Government,!at!the!Bar,!in!private!practice,!family!law,!litigation! and! commercial,! as! well! as! infhouse.! ! I! encourage! members! to! contact! any! of! the!committee!members!or!me!to!discuss!issues! that!concern!you!–!whether!in!the!profession!or!involving!women! in!the!wider!community.! We! have! been! very! busy! since! October! with! respect! to! the! outputs!of!the!committee.!!As!we!are!a!volunteer!organisation,!we! appreciate! the! efforts! our! committee! put! in,! in! donating! their! time,! pro! bono,! to! help! improve! the! organisation,! promote! the! advancement!of!women!in!the!profession!and!the!community.! I! am! very! pleased! to! advise! that! we! launched! WLWA! on! social! media!for!the!first!time!!!It!is!important!that!we!keep!up!to!date! with! our! members,! the! issues! in! society! and! we! continue! communicating!about!these.!!Social!media!is!the!obvious!choice.!! If! you! have! not! already! “liked”! our! Facebook! page! or! LinkedIn! group,!please!do.!!Also,!make!sure!you!keep!up!to!speed!with!our! “latest!news”!on!our!website.! Then! at! the! beginning! of! the! year,! it! was! all! hands! on! deck! in! preparation! of! the! Honours! Dinner! and! Women! Lawyer! of! the! Year!Awards.!!WLWA!was!represented!at!most!of!the!profession! and!community!International!Women’s!Day!events.!!! In!time!for!International!Women’s!Day,!WLWA!also!published!the! Executive! Summary! to! the! Gender! Bias! Taskforce! Report.! ! The! Executive! Summary! is! on! our! website! and! can! be! found! here:! http://wlwa.asn.au/images/WLWA_GBT_Executive_Summary_06. 03.15.pdf.!! On!14!March!2015,!we!hosted!our!annual!Honours!Dinner!at!the! UWA! Club! in! Crawley,! one! of! the! premier! events! on! the! Perth! Legal! Social! Calendar.! ! It! was! attended! by! nearly! 200! guests.! ! I! would! like! sincerely! thank! our! sponsors,! Gold:! John! Toohey! Chambers,!Silver:!Law!CPD!and!Bronze:!Ipac.!!! At! the! Dinner,! we! acknowledged! the! appointment! of! Her! Excellency,! Kerry! Sanderson! AO! on! being! appointed! as! the! first! female! Governor! in! Western! Australia.! ! We! also! acknowledged! and!formally!congratulated!The!Hon.!Christine!Wheeler!AO!QC!on! being!inducted!into!the!International!Women’s!Day!Hall!of!Fame,! a!noteworthy!and!wellfdeserved!achievement.!!You!will!of!course! all! be! aware! that! Her! Honour! was! on! the! first! committee! for! Women!Lawyers!WA,!in!establishing!it!in!1982.!You!can!read!more! about!the!remarkable!women!we!honoured!and!awarded!at!the! dinner!in!the!newsletter!and!on!our!website.! Again,!I!congratulate!our!Women!Lawyers!of!the!Year!on!being! awarded!for!their!achievements.!!Please!start!thinking!about!the! remarkable!women!around!you!and!consider!nominating!them! next!year.! ! 1
- 6. ! I! take! this! opportunity! to! remind! you! that! we! are! here! to! support!women!in!the!profession.!!Part!of!how!we!do!that!is!by! offering! our! mentoring! programmes.! ! We! have! an! ad! hoc! mentoring!programme!and!an!advocacyfmentoring!programme.!! Details!can!be!found!on!our!website.!!I!encourage!you!to!use! them.!!It!is!part!of!the!benefit!of!being!a!member.! We!have!produced!a!number!of!CPD!events,!starting!with!Law! week!and!will!continue!to!do!so!throughout!the!year,!so!keep!an! eye! out! on! our! website.! We! continue! to! hold! our! monthly! networking!lunches.!!They!are!an!informal!get!together!for!you! to!network!with!other!women!in!the!law.!!See!you!at!the!next! networking!lunch.!!Details!are!on!our!website.!Registration!isn’t! essential!but!it!does!help!us!with!confirming!numbers.! I!am!pleased!to!advise!of!our!member!benefits!scheme!that!we! have! been! working! on! to! deliver! in! our! next! membership! financial! year! 2015f2016.! ! Members! are! encouraged! to! check! out!our!website!for!further!details.!!You!will!be!delighted!to!see! the!discounts!to!many!products!and!services!that!are!tailored!at! women!! ! ! ! ! ! ! Honours' Dinner' 2015,' Tina' McAulay,' photo' provided' by' Will' Russell' ! Look!out!for!some!of!these!retailers!at!our!first!Winter!Fashion! Wonder! event.! ! It! is! being! held! on! 24! July! and! will! showcase! local! Australian! fashion,! jewellery,! millinery! and! products! that! will!be!of!benefit!to!members,!at!discounted!prices.!!You!must! be!a!member!to!attend!or!sign!up!on!the!night.!!We!will!have! committee! stationed! at! laptops! to! guide! you! through! the! registration!process!online.!Also,!look!out!for!our!full!day!CPD! seminar! to! be! held! in! conjunction! with! Notre! Dame! in! September!! ! The! seminar! will! be! WLWA’s! first! and! will! not! disappoint!!!!Don’t!miss!out.!Details!will!be!on!our!website!soon.! Finally,!I!am!pleased!to!announce!that!we!are!in!the!process!of! organising!a!group!photo!of!all!women!in!the!law,!similar!to!the! photo!taken!in!1999.!!The!Federal!Court!has!offered!the!steps! again!for!the!photo.!!We!are!considering!having!the!photo!prior! to!our!meet!the!judiciary!function!in!late!September,!so!watch! this!space!!! Thank!you!for!your!continued!support.! ! Gender!Bias!Taskforce!Working!Group! Report! ' Honours'Dinner'2015,'Catherine'Fletcher,'photo'provided'by'Will'Russell' ' Catherine'Fletcher'' Chair'of'Gender'Bias'Taskforce'Working'Group'' ' Current! members! of! this! working! group! include! Catherine! Fletcher,! Tina! McAulay,! Anne! Wood,! Sarah! McCauley! (UWA! student),! Conrad! Liveris,! Emma! Greeney,! Megan! McCormack,! Prue! Myers,! Jane! Power,! Rebecca! Davey,! Kate! Hill! and! Carol! Bahemia.!New!members!expected!to!join!include!Tom!Porter!(of! FBC),! Chris! Bates! (MD! of! KBE! Human! Capital! &! Chair! of! The! Piddington!Society)!and!a!nomination!from!the!YLC!committee.!! We! are! currently! completing! a! Strategic! Plan! and! a! Communication! Plan! regarding! the! Implementation! of! the! GB! Review! Report! recommendations.! The! plan! will! also! look! at! inviting!firms!to!submit!their!best!practice!examples!of!addressing! GB,!promoting!it!as!a!marketing!tool!on!their!website.!Also!asking! for! diversity! policies,! guidelines,! working! examples,! etc.! We! are! exploring!the!idea!of!utilising!Notre!Dame!as!a!venue!to!conduct! GBTF!workshops!as!a!joint!partner!with!targeted!presentations!to! various! stakeholders.! WLWA! is! also! looking! at! holding! general! briefings!for!the!legal!fraternity!with!the!possibility!of!offering!CPD! points,! as! WLWA! is! an! approved! provider.! The! NARS! report! is! complementary!with!the!2014!Review!Report!chapters!2!&!3.!The! April! edition! of! Brief! spoke! to! the! first! meeting! NARS! workshop! held! in! April.! The! LSWA! should! be! providing! an! update! on! the! second!meeting!on!NARS!held!on!May!8!in!Sydney.!Have!noted! there!was!Law!Council!Charter!and!media!release!on!NARS.!! We! also! note! the! “Rubber! of! the! Road”! article! by! Matt! Keogh,! which! indicates! the! extent! to! which! LSWA! is! addressing! the! GB! Review! Report! recommendations! from! chapter! 2.! We! are! also! pleased! to! report! that! Cath! Fletcher! has! been! invited! to! join! a! Department!of!Corrective!Services!reference!committee!that!will! address! issues! of! reform! of! women’s! prisons! and! imprisonment! rates! for! women.! This! is! directly! in! line! with! one! of! the! key! recommendations!of!chapter!9.! 2
- 7. ! Law!Reform!and!Social!Justice!Working! Group!Report! ' Prue'Myers' CoMChair'of'Law'Reform'and'Social'Justice'Working'Group' ' Jane!Ensor!and!I!are!cofchairs!of!the!Law!Reform!and!Social!Justice! Working! Group.! Our! WG's! role! is! predominately! to! prepare! responses!to!any!submissions!that!come!to!or!are!of!interest!to! WLWA.!Unlike!the!busy!year!before,!we!surprisingly!have!not!had! any!submissions!brought!to!our!attention!for!action!since!October! 2014.! In!the!meantime!our!WG!is!working!on!articles!to!go!on!the!WLWA! website!and!doing!some!research!into!other!issues!which!may!or! may!not!lead!to!future!work.!These!include:! 1. Recognising! and! managing! domestic! violence! –! recent! removal! of! legal! aid’s! domestic! violence! hotline.! Research! is! being!conducted!on!why!the!hotline!was!removed?!Is!it!still! removed?!What!other!mechanisms!have!been!put!in!place,!or! are!in!place,!to!deal!with!these!matters?!! 2. Research! to! be! undertaken! in! relation! to! pregnant! refugees! and!how!they!are!dealt!with!by!the!law.!! 3. Research! to! be! undertaken! on! Britain's! new! legislation! regarding!the!unauthorised!sending!of!sexual!images.!What!is! the!legislation;!what’s!the!purpose!behind!its!enactment!and! how! this! might! link! to! recommendations! regarding! gender! bias!in!the!2014!Review!Report?! 4. The! Australian! Human! Rights! Commission! has! released! its! report! on! Pregnancy! in! the! Workplace.! WLWA! submitted! a! formal!submission!on!this!review!in!2014.!An!article!is!to!be! drafted!outlining!what!the!released!report!has!recommended! and!how!it!aligns!with!the!recommendations!in!the!WLWA's! submission!and!the!2014!Review!Report's!recommendations.! Resources!were!also!expected!to!be!developed!by!2015!by!the! AHRC!in!response!to!the!findings!in!its!final!Report.!The!WG! will!follow!up!on!when!they!are!expected!to!be!available!to! organisations!and!include!this!in!the!article.! 5. Report! being! written! linking! 2014! Review! Report! recommendations! with! the! Law! Council's! NARS! (National! Attrition! and! Refengagement! Study)! Report! and! including! information!regarding!any!challenges!around!implementation.! Work!on!items!1,!4!and!5!above!is!almost!complete.!Once!final! versions! are! prepared,! they! will! be! sent! through! to! the! Committee!for!approval!before!they!are!placed!on!the!WLWA! website.!! ! The!Education!and!CPD!Working!Group! Report! ' Shannon'Mony'' CoMChair'of'the'CPD'Working'Group'' ' In!conjunction!with!the!Law!Society,!the!working!group!organised! a!free!seminar!for!the!profession!during!law!week!on!the!subject! “Women’s!Rights!–!Making!Sense!of!the!Law”.!This!consisted!of!a! presentation!and!panel!discussion!of!the!challenges!women!face! in!the!law!and!what!rights!they!have.!The!event!was!chaired!by! WLWA’s!President,!Tina!McAulay!and!included!a!session!by!Sarah! Haywood!on!Gender!Bias!in!the!Workplace,!a!second!session!by! Josephine!Hart!on!Employment!Law,!Maternity!Law!and!Return!to! Work! and! a! final! session! by! Janette! McCahon! on! Violence,! Restraining! Orders! and! Immigration! Law.! We! had! 42! attendees! and!the!feedback!we!received!was!very!good!including!that!it!was! a! great! event! and! that! the! issues! discussed,! particularly! about! flexibility!were!relevant!to!the!profession.!! On!25!May!2015!we!held!a!seminar!titled!“Making!an!Impression:! Dealing! with! the! Bench! and! the! Boss”.! The! event! was! open! to! members!and!nonfmembers!with!members!receiving!a!discounted! rate.!We!had!a!total!of!22!attendees.!The!event!was!chaired!by! Tina! McAulay! and! consisted! of! presentations! by! Her! Honour! Magistrate! Woods! and! Anne! Wood,! Vice! President! of! WLWA! in! which! they! shared! tips! and! methods! for! appearing! in! court! and! coping!with!gender!bias!in!the!workplace.!This!year,!we!have!also! been! working! closely! with! the! universities! and! so! far! we! have! presented! gender! diversity! seminars! to! Notre! Dame! and! ECU! ethics! students.! We! have! further! seminars! lined! up! and! are! working!to!ensure!that!students!have!sufficient!knowledge!of!and! support!with!respect!to!issues!facing!women!lawyers!before!they! enter! the! workforce.! We! have! more! exciting! ideas! lined! up! for! further!seminars!we!can!present!to!the!general!legal!profession.! As!always,!we!remain!open!to!suggestions!for!future!topics.!We! also!have!current!vacancies!for!members!who!would!like!to!join! our!working!group.! 3
- 8. UPCOMING!EVENTS! ! Winter!Fashion!Wonder! Friday!24!July!2015,!Perth!Town!Hall! We!are!delighted!to!bring!you!our!first!ever!evening!of!fashion!! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! Photo'obtained'online' This! 2015/2016! Membership! Event! will! be! held! in! midfJuly! f! a! fashion!night!with!a!number!of!WA!fashion!businesses!exhibiting! their!wares!for!discounted!prices!or!special!deals.!Ticket!prices!will! be!nominal.! As! you! know! membership! is! managed! through! our! website! and! membership! for! 2015/2016! will! be! opening! soon.! If! you! have! joined/renewed!online!for!2015/2016!prior!to!the!event!or!join!or! renew!at!the!computers,!which!will!be!available!on!the!night,!you! will!be!able!to!have!access!to!this!event.!! There! will! be! computers! and! committee! members! available! to! assist!you!with!renewing!or!joining!up.!This!is!a!strictly!members! only! event! with! the! only! exception! being! people! who! are! attending!on!behalf!of!a!firm!to!renew!or!join!up!new!members.! So!watch!out!for!the!official!flyer!announcing!the!date,!venue!and! pricing.! Members!will!receive!a!glass!of!champagne!on!arrival.!!For!those! who!aren’t!members,!we!will!have!a!laptop!set!up!at!the!door!to! help!you!register.! We!look!forward!to!seeing!you!for!a!fabulous!evening!of!Women’s! Winter!Fashion.! ! ! August!Newsletter! ! WLWA! will! now! be! releasing! quarterly! newsletters.! Our! next! newsletter!will!focus!on!Domestic!Violence.! ! ! ! CPD!Event!–!Notre!Dame! September!2015,!Notre!Dame,!Fremantle! This! CPD! event! will! provide! a! full! day! of! interesting! topics! for! members!to!obtain!points.!!We!have!high!calibre!speakers!lined! up,!so!you!won’t!be!disappointed.! Watch! this! space! for! more! information! about! the! date,! times,! topics!and!speakers.! ! ! ! 4
- 9. Meet!the!Judiciary! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Late!September! Our!annual!“meet!the!judiciary”!function!will!this!year!be!held!at! the!Federal!Court!in!late!September.!!Members!are!encouraged!to! attend.! Watch!this!space!for!details!of!date!and!time!and!how!to!register.! Women!in!the!Profession!Photo! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Late!September! We!will!for!the!first!time!since!1999,!have!a!photo!shoot!for!all! women! in! the! profession.! ! It! is! such! an! historic! photo! that! is! displayed!in!the!Supreme!Court!and!at!the!Law!Society.!!It!will!be! interesting! to! see! the! numbers! given! the! attrition! rates! since! 1999.! We!encourage!you!all!to!attend!and!to!circulate!to!all!the!women! in!law!that!you!know.! Details!will!be!released!shortly,!so!watch!this!space.! ! WLWA!Annual!General!Meeting! 13!October!2015,!King!&!Wood!Mallesons! A!reminder!that!WLWA's!AGM!is!coming!up!on!13!October!2015.! We! encourage! you! to! consider! nominating! for! the! committee.! Nominations!are!accepted!to!our!PO!Box!in!advance!of!the!AGM! (preferable)!or!alternatively,!by!submitting!the!Nomination!Form! on!the!night.!!If!you!don’t!have!one!already,!contact!us!to!yourself! a! form! to! nominate.! ! Should! you! wish! to! discuss! nominating! please!contact!a!current!member!of!the!committee.!! It! is! important! that! our! range! of! members! are! represented! and! the!committee!is!diverse.!!If!you!want!a!say!about!the!profession,! we!encourage!you!to!nominate.! Australian!Women!Lawyers!AGM! (Melbourne)! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!10!October!2015! The! AWL! AGM! will! be! held! in! Melbourne! on! 10! October! 2015.!! Note,!it!is!the!AFL!grand!final!the!weekend!before,!so!if!you!are!a! “die!hard”!football!fan,!I!encourage!you!to!stay!the!extra!week!for! the!AGM.! Alternatively,! proxies! can! be! sent! in.! ! Details! will! be! on! our! website.! ! WLWA!Honours!Dinner!2016! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!11!March!2016! Save! the! date!! ! Our! annual! Honours! Dinner! will! be! held! on! 11!March!2016.! The! Dinner! is! used! to! honour! appointments! and! retirements! of! women!on!the!bench!and!to!award!the!recipients!of!the!Woman! Lawyer!of!the!Year!Awards.! Next!year!will!see!less!speeches!and!more!networking!time,!so!be! sure!to!put!the!date!in!your!diaries.!!It!is!a!premier!event!on!the! Perth!Legal!Social!Calendar!–!not!to!be!missed.! ! Australian!Women!Lawyers!Conference! 2016! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!8!–!10!April!2016! The!AWL!Conference!for!2016!will!be!held!in!PERTH!next!year.!!We! are!very!lucky!to!be!the!hosts!of!this!important!conference!and!I! am! sure! you! will! all! register! to! attend! and! make! conference! delegates!welcome!to!WA.! Details!about!the!conference,!speakers!and!how!to!register!will!be! available!shortly.!! ! ! ! 5
- 10. ! ! ! ARTICLES! ! 20th!Anniversary!Review!of!the!1994! Report!of!the!Chief!Justices!Taskforce!on! Gender!Bias!–!Implementation!phase!! (May!2015)' ! Jessica'Stokes' On!Tuesday,!23!September!2014!the!20th!Anniversary!Review!of! the!1994!Chief!Justice’s!Gender!Bias!Taskforce!Report!(“the!2014! Review!Report”)!was!launched!in!the!foyer!of!the!Supreme!Court! of!Western!Australia,!a!fitting!tribute!to!the!roots!of!the!original! 1994!Report!under!the!then!Chief!Justice,!the!Hon!David!Malcolm! AC!QC.!The!Hon!Chief!Justice!Wayne!Martin!AC!opened!the!launch! event! by! video! message,! and! attendees! heard! from! The! Hon! Justice!Janine!Pritchard,!Chair!of!the!Steering!Committee!for!the! 20th!Anniversary!Review!Project,!along!with!Ms!Cathryn!Greville.! By!way!of!summary,!the!broad!Terms!of!Reference!for!the!Project! were!as!follows:' 1. To!review!the!extent!to!which!the!recommendations!made! in! the! 1994! Report! of! the! Chief! Justice's! Taskforce! on! Gender!Bias!(the!1994!Report)!have!been!implemented.! 2. To!the!extent!that!any!recommendations!in!the!1994!Report! have! not! been! implemented,! to! investigate! and! make! recommendations! in! relation! to! whether,! and! if! so! how,! those!recommendations!may!now!be!implemented.! 3. To!investigate!the!extent!to!which!gender!bias!continues!to! exist!in!the!law!and!the!administration!of!justice!in!Western! Australia,!and!to!make!recommendations!for!its!elimination.! ! 4. To! consult! with! such! government! agencies,! organisations,! groups! or! persons! as! the! Steering! Committee! thinks! fit! in! relation!to!these!matters.! There!were!many!people!involved!in!the!Project,!including!those! who!participated!on!the!Steering!Committee,!on!the!nine!chapter! Subfcommittees,! those! who! engaged! in! consultations,! provided! submissions! and! gave! feedback! at! various! stages! of! the! Project.! The! Project! has! received! support! from! the! Department! of! the! Attorney! General,! the! Public! Purposes! Trust,! the! Department! of! Communities:! Women's! Interests,! the! Hon! Chief! Justice! Wayne! Martin! AC,! the! College! of! Law! and! Francis! Burt! Chambers.!! Research! for! the! Project! was! greatly! assisted! by! funding! grants! from! the! Public! Purposes! Trust,! Department! of! Communities:! Women's!Interests!and!the!Department!of!the!Attorney!General.!! The! next! phase! in! the! 2014! Review! Report! is! to! ensure! Government!and!other!stakeholders!implement!at!least!some!of! the! most! important! and! urgent! recommendations.! To! help! achieve!this,!WLWA!convened!an!Implementation!Committee!to! ensure! that,! as! a! bare! minimum,! the! most! significant! recommendations!from!each!chapter!of!the!report!are!highlighted! and! addressed.! The! Committee! has! been! speaking! to! various! organisations!about!implementing!the!recommendations!and!on!5! October!2014,!Cathryn!Greville!and!Catherine!Fletcher!presented! some!of!the!findings!of!the!2014!Review!Report!to!the!Australian! Women! Lawyer's! Conference! in! Adelaide.! Their! presentations! were!made!in!the!course!of!two!sessions!at!the!conference!about! gender! bias! in! the! law.! The! other! presenters! at! those! sessions! were! Professor! Sharyn! Roach! Anleu! and! Professor! Margaret! Davies!of!Flinders!University!who!have!both!done!very!interesting! work!in!the!area.!Professor!Roach!Anleu's!recent!work!in!relation! to!appointments!to!the!judiciary!and!the!judicial!workload!neatly! complemented!Cathryn's!presentations.! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! 6
- 11. The!Honourable!David!Kingsley!Malcolm! AC!QC! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ' The'Honourable'David'Kingsley'Malcom'AC,'photo'obtained'online' On! a! sad! note,! most! of! you! will! be! aware! that! the! Honourable! David! Kingsley! Malcolm! AC! QC! former! Chief! Justice! of! Western! Australia!passed!away!on!20!October!2014!aged!76,!following!a! period!of!illness.!His!Honour!played!a!significant!role!in!the!legal! profession! in! Perth! serving! as! Chief! Justice! of! Western! Australia! from!1988!until!his!retirement!from!the!bench!in!February!2006.!! His! Honour! was! also! expatriate! of! the! Supreme! Court! of! Fiji,! Rhodes!Scholar!for!Western!Australia!in!1960,!was!a!Companion! of! the! Order! of! Australia,! and! Citizen! of! the! Year! in! Western! Australia! in! 2000.! David! Malcolm! instigated! the! Chief! Justice's! Taskforce!on!Gender!Bias!that!reported!in!1994.!The!1994!Report! contained!197!recommendations!to!address!gender!bias!affecting! women!in!respect!of!a!broad!range!of!issues!or!areas:!education,! access!to!justice,!women!in!the!legal!profession,!appointments!to! the!judiciary,!the!courts,!women!as!victims,!aboriginal!women!and! violence,! particular! laws,! police! officers! and! punishment! of! women.! In! September! 2014,! WLWA! released! the! 2014! 20 th ! Anniversary! Review! of! the! 1994! Chief! Justice’s! Gender! Bias! Taskforce! Report,! marking! 20! years! since! that! first! report.! His! Honour! will! be! greatly! missed! by! all! who! knew! him! and! WLWA! extends!its!sincere!condolences!to!his!wife!Kaaren!and!daughter! Manisha.!! ! ! ! ! ! ! Women!in!the!law!–!we!can!do!better!! ' ' ' Photo'provided'by'the'Hon.'Chief'Justice'Wayne'Stewart'Martin'AC! ! A!sorry!history! The!unequal!treatment!of!women!within!the!legal!profession!has!a! long!and!sorry!history.!!In!Western!Australia,!a!prominent!chapter! in!that!history!is!the!disgraceful!treatment!of!Edith!Haynes!who! was!held!to!have!no!right!of!admission!as!a!practitioner!by!a!Full! Court!which!decided!that!a!woman!was!not!a!"person",!despite!an! express! provision! in! the! Interpretation! Act! 1898! (WA)! to! the! contrary,! in! what! is! arguably! one! of! the! worst! decisions! of! the! Supreme!Court!of!this!State.! 1 ! Unequal! treatment! in! the! paths! to! entry! to! the! profession! remained!evident!in!1970!when!I!looked!around!my!first!year!law! class!to!see!that!only!about!20%!were!women.!!Ten!years!later!the! obstacles!had!shifted!to!a!later!point!in!the!career!path,!and!since! 1980! women! have! comprised! a! majority! of! graduates! from! our! law! schools! and! entrants! to! our! profession.! ! Women! have! consistently! comprised! 65%! of! graduate! lawyers! for! the! last! 10! years!or!so.!!However,!the!rate!of!attrition!of!the!first!5!years!post! admission!is!much!higher!for!women!than!for!men,!and!between! the! ages! of! 35! and! 55,! the! number! of! women! practising! law! declines! by! 75%.! ! It! is! no! coincidence! that! women! remain! significantly! underfrepresented! in! the! senior! levels! of! the! profession! including! as! partners! in! major! law! firms,! senior! barristers!and!judges.!!Even!more!concerning!is!that!there!are!less! women!on!the!Supreme!Court!and!District!Courts!now!than!when! I!was!appointed!9!years!ago.! So,!more!than!100!years!after!the!shocking!rejection!of!Edith! Haynes'!valiant!attempt!to!enter!the!legal!profession,!the!! 1 !! In'Re'Edith'Haynes!(1904)!6!WAR!209.! 7
- 12. ! obstacles!for!women!are!still!to!be!found!within!the!profession.!! Although!they!are!less!obvious!than!outright!prohibition,!the! obstacles!continue!to!frustrate!the!legitimate!ambitions!of!women! wishing!to!achieve!leadership!roles!within!the!profession.!!This!is! not!just!unfair!and!unconscionable,!it!deprives!the!community!of! the!services,!which!could!have!been!provided!by!the!many! talented!women!who!have!given!up!on!the!legal!profession.! ! I!suspect!that!most!readers!of!this!newsletter!are!better!equipped! than!I!to!suggest!steps!that!might!be!taken!to!address!this! apparently!intractable!problem.!!However,!as!the!husband!and! father!of!women!lawyers,!I!will!be!bold!enough!to!offer!some! suggestions!drawn!from!my!observation!of!their!experiences,!and! also!from!an!excellent!paper!recently!delivered!by!Deidre! Willmott,!Chief!Executive!Officer,!Chamber!of!Commerce!and! Industry,!during!Law!Week,!and,!of!course,!also!drawing!upon!the! excellent!work!done!by!the!many!involved!in!the!20!year!review!of! the!Taskforce!on!Gender!Bias.!!I!do!not!for!a!minute!diminish!the! obstacles!confronting!women,!including!the!difficulty!of!balancing! the!competing!demands!of!motherhood!and!professional! responsibilities,!but!I!believe!there!are!some!things!we!can!do!to! assist!those!women!who!take!up!the!challenge.! First,! all! leaders! of! whatever! gender! must! openly! commit! to! changing! the! culture! of! our! profession! so! that! women! receive! substantive! equality! of! treatment,! not! merely! formal! equality. 2 !! There!can!be!no!equivocation!about!committing!to!an!objective!in! which! women! occupy! at! least! half! of! the! senior! roles! within! all! branches! of! the! profession! within! the! professional! lives! of! this! generation!of!lawyers. 3 !! Second,! we! must! commit! to! flexible! work! practices,! including! flexible!working!hours!and!part!time!work!that!encourage!women! to!remain!within!the!profession.!!It!is!no!coincidence!that!women! are! significantly! overfrepresented! in! government! law! offices,! which!have!more!familyffriendly!work!practices.!!Major!law!firms! serious! about! this! commitment! may! need! to! reassess! their! emphasis! upon! billable! hours! and! look! instead! to! performance! indicators,!which!offer!longerfterm!sustainability.!! Third,!other!stakeholders!within!the!profession,!such!as!courts!and! clients,!must!truly!appreciate!that!flexibility!of!work!practices!will! improve!the!calibre!of!services!provided!by!a!profession!which!has! a! greater! representation! of! women! amongst! its! senior! practitioners.! ! Courts! routinely! accommodate! the! obligations! of! practitioners!when!listing!cases,!and!there!is!no!reason!why!family! obligations!should!not!be!weighted!just!as!heavily!as!professional! obligations.!!Clients!who!are!told!by!their!legal!service!providers! 2 !Professor!Catharine!MacKinnon!has!written!extensively!on!the!difference! between!substantive!equality,!which!focuses!upon!outcomes,!and!formal! equality,!which!focuses!upon!process.! ! 3 !This!objective!is!still!less!than!true!equality,!as! !women!comprise!65%!of!law!graduates.! ! !that!the!best!man!for!their!job!is!a!woman!will!surely!be!flexible! enough!to!fit!in!with!her!timetable.! ! Fourth,!the!infrastructure!provided!by!professional!bodies!like!the! Bar!and!the!Law!Society!must!actively!encourage!mentoring!and! promotion! of! women! in! all! professional! activities.! ! Mentoring,! quotas!for!female!participation!in!committee!work!(including!the! governing!councils!of!these!bodies)!and!in!the!provision!of!CPD,!to! take! some! examples,! must! all! be! vigorously! pursued,! and! not! merely!tokenistic.! Fifth,!women!must!not!be!shy!about!demanding!equal!treatment.!! Women!must!speak!up!at!professional!gatherings,!not!hesitate!to! aspire! to! leadership! roles! within! professional! bodies,! write! articles,! present! lectures! and! mentor! other! women.! ! If! flexible! work! practices! are! not! readily! available! or! the! best! work! is! not! being!allocated!fairly,!complaints!must!be!made!f!it!is!the!squeaky! wheel! that! gets! the! grease.! Of! course,! the! success! of! this! suggestion! may! also! depend! in! part! upon! a! broader! cultural! change!in!relation!to!how!assertive!women!are!perceived.! I!am!sure!there!are!other!things!that!can!and!should!be!done!to! advance! the! role! of! women! within! the! legal! profession,! but! hopefully!implementation!of!some!of!the!things!I!have!suggested! could!help!to!make!a!difference,!which!has!been!long!overdue.!! ! 8
- 13. ! The!rubber!hitting!the!road! ! ' Photo'provided'by'Matthew'Keogh' ' Matthew'Keogh' President,'Law'Society'of'Western'Australia' ! The! 1994! Chief! Justice's! Gender! Bias! Taskforce! Report! (1994! Report)! was! a! landmark! event! in! Western! Australia,! and! indeed! Australia.!Setting!out,!in!some!instances!for!the!first!time,!and!in! many!instances!confirming!the!continued!existence!of!gender!bias! throughout!our!community!and!in!particular!in!the!justice!system.! The! Law! Society! of! Western! Australia! played! a! keyfcontributing! role!to!the!Gender!Bias!Taskforce!convened!by!then!Chief!Justice! David! Malcolm.! The! Society! also! assisted! Women! Lawyers! Western!Australia!in!their!mammoth!undertaking!of!conducting!a! 20! year! review! of! the! 1994! Report,! the! 2014! 20th! Anniversary! Review!of!the!1994!Chief!Justice's!Gender!Bias!Taskforce!Report! (Review! Report).! This! “where! are! we! now”! and! “what! do! we! still! have! to! do”! review! has! been! both! enlightening! and! depressing.!Unfortunately,!the!main!theme!of!the!review!is!that!in! 20!years!gender!bias!is!still!pervasive!throughout!our!community,! including!our!justice!system.!It!is!my!sincere!hope!and!the!task!of! the!Society!to!work!to!ensure!that!over!the!next!20!years!we!have! a!great!deal!more!success!in!eradicating!such!bias!in!the!justice! system!and!legal!profession.! The! review! also! a! good! news! story! for! the! Society! in! some! respects!as!well.!In!the!key!focus!area!for!the!Society,!Chapter!2!–! Career! paths! for! women! in! the! legal! profession! in! Western! Australia,!a!number!of!the!recommendations!were!for!initiatives! and!programmes!that!the!Law!Society!has!already!undertaken,!in! some!cases,!for!quite!some!time.! Chapter!2!of!the!Review!Report!contained!42!recommendations,! on! which! 18! are! directed! towards! the! Society! and! a! number! of! others!relate!to!other!areas!of!the!profession,!which!the!Society! can! support! in! achieving! the! objectives! of! those! recommendations.! The! Law! Society! has! established! a! Review! Report! Working! Group,! including! with! members! of! the! Law! Society’s!Executive!to!work!with!our!existing!Committees,!such!as! our!Joint!Committee!with!Women!Lawyers!WA,!Courts!Committee! and! Human! Rights! &! Equal! Opportunity! Committee,! among! others,!to!report!on!and!develop!responses!to!the!Review!Report’s! recommendations! directed! to! the! Society.! At! this! point,! I! am! pleased!to!report!some!success!already!in!respect!of!the!following! recommendations:! 2.6! The! Law! Society! of! Western! Australia! publishes! information!on!flexible!work!practices,!including!guidelines! and! best! practice! examples! of! firms! utilising! such! practices,! on! its! website! to! inform! the! profession! and! broader!public!about!flexible!work!practices!generally.! The! Society! has! had! flexible! work! practice! guidelines! on! its! website! for! a! number! of! years! and! has! published! numerous! articles!in!its!monthly!magazine,!Brief,!with!practical!examples!of! how!to!make!flexible!work!practices!function!successfully.! 2.7! The! Law! Society! provides! Continuing! Professional! Development!sessions!for!lawyers!(including!partners!and! directors)! as! well! as! human! resources! and! nonflegal! management! and! support! staff! regarding! flexible! work! practices! in! commercial! practice,! including! the! implementation! of! flexible! arrangements! for! men! and! women,!best!practice!examples!and!addressing!common! pitfalls!for!employers!and!employees.! The! Society! has! held! CPD! seminars! on! sharing! experiences! of! flexible! working! arrangements! during! Law! Week! in! the! last! few! years.! 2.10! The!Law!Society!of!Western!Australia!and!Women!Lawyers! of!Western!Australia!continue!and!actively!promote!their! mentoring! programs,! particularly! to! women! returning! from!leave.! ! The! Society! administers! (and! will! continue! to)! a! number! of! mentoring!programs,!for!penultimate!and!final!year!law!students! at!ECU!and!Notre!Dame!Law!Schools,!for!Aboriginal!law!students,! and!for!lawyers!admitted!for!less!than!5!years.!The!majority!of!the! mentees! in! these! programs! are! women,! however,! the! Society! continues!to!have!difficulty!finding!sufficient!women!practitioner! mentors! for! the! young! lawyers! mentoring! programme! (likely! reflecting!other!shortages!of!women!in!the!legal!profession).! 2.11! The! Law! Society! provides! training! for! practitioners! seeking! to! return! to! the! profession! after! an! extended! period! of! time! and! such! training! to! include! issues! relating! to! technology! used! in! legal! organisations,! networking!opportunities!and!professional!and!personal! development!skills.! ! 9
- 14. ! The! Society! has! held! CPDs! on! assisting! lawyers! returning! to! practice! keep! upftofdate! with! technological,! professional! and! personal! development! needs! and! regularly! holds! networking! events.!! 2.12! The!Law!Society!of!Western!Australia!sets,!publishes!and! promotes! targets! for! the! number! of! women! in! legal! practice!and!asks!law!firms!to!report!to!the!Law!Society! annually!on!achievement!of!these!targets!as!a!reporting! requirement! associated! with! the! Law! Society’s! Quality! Practice!Standard!(QPS),!or!in!the!case!of!national!and! international! firms! utilising! other! quality! assurance! systems!as!part!of!the!duties!of!a!good!corporate!citizen.! ! The! QPS! is! not! something! that! lends! itself! to! reporting! on! numbers!of!staff,!as!it!is!systems!based!programme.!However,!the! gender! mix! of! lawyers! at! firms! can! be! easily! obtained! from! the! Legal!Practice!Board!web!site.!The!Society!has!also!run!a!number! of! CPD! seminars! on! unconscious! bias,! both! for! women! lawyers! and! for! managers.! The! Society! is! also! aware! that! a! number! of! international!and!national!firms!have!set!gender!targets!for!senior! lawyer! and! nonflawyer! roles! within! their! firms! and! voluntarily! reports!on!their!results.! 2.21! The!Law!Society!of!Western!Australia:! a)!promotes!understanding!and!awareness!of!the!sexual! harassment!clauses!of!the!Professional!Conduct!Rules!to! members!of!the!profession;! b)! conducts! Continuing! Professional! Development! sessions!(attracting!CPD!points!in!the!areas!required!by! the! Legal! Practice! Board! for! the! renewal! of! practicing! certificates)!relating!to!sexual!harassment!in!workplaces;! and! c)!makes!practitioners!aware!of!the!ability!to!speak!to!a! senior!practitioner!and/or!Senior!Counsel!in!relation!to! ethical!and!professional!misconduct!issues!(including!in! relation!to!sexual!harassment!by!another!practitioner).! The! Society! has! held! ethics! hypotheticals! CPD! seminars! for! a! number!of!years,!addressing!ethical!issues,!including!treatment!of! other! practitioners! and! harassment! issues.! The! availability! of! Senior! Counsel! to! assist! lawyers! with! ethical! issues! is! promoted! through!this!and!other!CPD!seminars!and!generally!by!the!Society.! 2.22! The!Law!Society!of!Western!Australia!continues!its!Law! Care! (WA)! counselling! and! information! service! and! promotes! the! service! and! its! ability! to! assist! practitioners!experiencing!difficulties!including!dealing!! ! with! instances! of! unprofessional! conduct! or! professional! misconduct.! The! LawCare! service! and! the! Members! Advice! Referral! Service! have!been!provided!since!2011!and!will!be!continued.! 2.25! The!Law!Society!of!Western!Australia!and!the!Western! Australian!Bar!Association!lobby!the!Western!Australian! Government! to! adopt! a! policy! similar! in! content! and! purpose! to! the! Commonwealth’s! Legal! Services! Directions,! especially! as! it! relates! to! the! briefing! of! women!by!State!agencies.! The!Society!has!discussed!the!introduction!of!a!policy!similar!to! the!Commonwealth’s!Legal!Services!Directions!with!the!Solicitorf General!and!the!State!Solicitor.! 2.27! The!Law!Society!of!Western!Australia!and!the!Western! Australian! Bar! Association! support! Women! Lawyers! of! Western!Australia!in!requesting!that!the!courts!avoid!or! minimise! the! listing! of! matters! in! a! way! that! disadvantages! those! with! family! responsibilities,! in! particular,! that! matters! should! generally! not! be! listed! before!9.15am!or!after!4.30pm!save!for!emergencies.! This!issue!has!been!raised!at!CPD!seminars!regarding!flexible!work! arrangements! as! well! as! in! meetings! of! the! Society’s! Executive! with! the! Supreme! Court,! Family! Court,! District! Court! and! Magistrates! Court.! While! there! has! been! some! resistance! to! changing! current! court! practices! in! some! courts,! all! have! been! open! to! the! Society! working! with! the! Courts! to! work! through! specific!issues!and!develop!alternatives.!The!Society!will!progress! this!and!notes!that!the!NSW!Bar!Association!has!had!some!success! on!this!front!earlier!this!year.! 2.29! The!Law!Society!of!Western!Australia!and!the!Western! Australian! Bar! Association! make! submissions! to! the! Supreme! Court! to! adopt! a! policy! (similar! to! the! NSW! Bar)!explicitly!stating!in!the!Senior!Counsel!protocol!that! a!flexible!or!partftime!practice!is!not!a!barrier!to!being! appointed!Senior!Counsel.! While! this! concept! is! not! opposed! by! the! Society,! it! notes! that! partftime!employment!or!practice!is!not!stated!to!be!a!barrier!to! appointment!as!senior!counsel!in!Western!Australia!and!that!this! also!appears!to!be!the!case!in!practice,!for!example!Karen!Farley! SC,! was! appointed! senior! counsel! in! 2013! and! is! employed! by! Legal!Aid!WA!on!a!partftime!basis.!! 2.38! The!Law!Society!of!Western!Australia!conducts!research! into!alternative!legal!business!models!to!time!billing,!in! particular!with!respect!to!the!impact!of!time!billing!as!a! charging!method!on!the!stress!levels!and!health!of!legal! practitioners.! 10
- 15. ! The! Society! notes! that! there! is! a! an! abundance! of! literature! on! alternatives!to!time!billing!and!the!Society!has!published!articles! about! this! issue! in! Brief! as! well! as! running! CPD! seminars! on! alternative!billing!methods,!including!as!part!of!the!Society’s!full! day! CPD! seminar! on! costs! in! March! 2015.! This! issue! was! also! raised!by!the!Law!Council!of!Australia’s!Australian!Young!Lawyers! Committee!report!on!workplace!practices!and!is!addressed!in!the! Society’s!Report!on!Psychological!Distress!and!Depression!in!the! Legal!Profession.!I!also!note!that!the!Society!published!an!article! about!this!issue!in!its!Friday!Facts!email!to!all!members!on!17!April! 2015.! 2.40! The! Law! Society! of! Western! Australia! continues! to! prioritise! the! development! and! delivery! of! educational! and!informational!strategies!aimed!at!addressing!mental! health!and!wellbeing!issues!in!the!profession,!and!make! those!strategies!available!to!law!students!and!graduates! via! University! law! schools! and! Practical! Legal! Training! providers.! The! Society! has! been! a! national! leader! in! addressing! mental! health!and!wellbeing!issues!in!the!profession,!commencing!with!its! Report! on! Psychological! Distress! and! Depression! in! the! Legal! Profession! in! 2011.! The! Society! is! reviewing! that! report! and! its! recommendations!in!2015!and!has!also!identified!the!intertwined! areas!of!mental!health!and!wellbeing,!gender!bias!and!retention!of! women!in!the!legal!profession!as!one!of!its!two!key!focus!areas!of! this!year.!The!Society!will!be!rolling!out!an!enhanced!programme! in!this!area!shortly.!! ! The! Society! also! requested! that! the! Legal! Practice! Board! incorporate! a! mandatory! mental! health! component! into! CPD! requirements!as!part!of!the!LPB’s!CPD!review!at!the!end!of!2014.! This! suggestion! was! not! taken! on! board,! however,! the! LPB! has! confirmed!that!CPDs!regarding!mental!health!and!wellbeing!issues! can!attract!CPD!points!under!the!WA!regime.! In! addition! to! all! of! the! above,! there! are! a! number! of! other! recommendations! that! the! Society! is! currently! working! through.! The!Society!is!also!working!with!the!Law!Council!of!Australia!in!the! development!of!a!national!response!to!its!National!Attrition!&!Ref engagement! Study! (NARS),! released! in! 2013.! As! would! be! expected,! many! of! the! issues! raised! in! the! NARS! are! also! addressed!in!the!Review!Report.!The!Society’s!Executive!Director,! David!Price,!and!I!attended!a!workshop!with!other!law!societies! and! bar! associations! looking! at! these! issues! in! Sydney,! sharing! successful! programmes! from! other! jurisdictions.! We! will! also! attend!a!second!workshop!in!May,!to!consolidate!this!learning!and! look!into!what!programmes!can!be!adopted!by!law!societies!and! bar! associations! across! Australia! to! ensure! a! best! practice! approach!nationally.! The! Society! is! committed! to! a! properly! diverse! and! collegiate! profession!that!not!only!serves!the!broader!community!but!also! looks!after!itself.!Addressing!gender!bias!is,!therefore,!a!key!area! of!focus!for!the!Law!Society,!and!we!look!forward!to!continuing!to! work!with!Women!Lawyers!WA!to!putting!rubber!on!the!road!and! achieving!in!results!this!area.! .! ! Making!it!Happen!at!the!Piddington! Society! ! ' Nicholas'van'Hattem'and'Gail'Archer,'photo'provided'by' Jessica'P'Stokes'Photography'' ' Nicholas'van'Hattem'' CoMfounder'and'Convenor'of'the'Piddington'Society'' ! ! ! One! of! my! favourite! Piddington! moments! came! from! our! first! "Meet!the!Silks".!I!thought!it!was!a!great!opportunity!to!make!a! little!gender!statement!happen.!I!got!it!a!bit!wrong.! When! the! Chief! Justice! announced! the! appointment! of! senior! counsel!in!December!2013,!his!Honour's!list!included!Karen!Farley,! Katrina!BanksfSmith!and!Linda!Petrusa.!To!me,!the!unprecedented! appointment! of! three! female! senior! counsel! in! one! year! was! something!to!celebrate.!With!support!from!Tina!McAulay,!Women! Lawyers! and! Piddington! joined! forces! to! host! a! special! evening! with!the!2014!appointees.!Gail!Archer!SC!kindly!agreed!to!be!MC.! The!trailblazing!the!Hon!Christine!Wheeler!AO!QC!would!deliver!a! keynote.! I! thought! all! the! pieces! were! in! place! for! a! great! big! feminist!lovefin.!Not!quite.!! I! think! the! first! person! that! really! drew! attention! to! the! whole! gender! thing! was! the! very! goodfhumoured! John! Vaughan.! John! made! some! quips! about! enjoying! the! somewhat! unusual! experience! of! being! the! only! bloke! on! dais! of! leading! lawyers.! (John’s! “brother”! 2014! Silk,! Marcus! Solomon,! was! sadly! unavailable).! ! 11
- 16. ! ! As! it! happened,! the! other! speakers! elected! not! to! devote! much! time! on! gender!issues.!Of!course,!they!didn't!need! to.! It! was! their! engaging! stories! from! diverse,! important! and! fulfilling! careers,! which! provided! the! most! powerful! case! for! the! higher! representation! of! women! in!all!aspects!of!the!law.!! All! of! our! speakers! (including! John)! are! people! who! made! it! happen.! The! Piddington! Society! hopes! to! follow!such!examples.!Since!the!beginning,!Piddington!has!sought! to!"make!it!happen",!challenging!the!settled!order!of!things,!like:! "you! can't! just! set! up! a! law! conference! in! Bali"! and! "CPD! costs! $100! per! hour".! In! 2016,! we've! got! plans! to! make! something! bigger! happen.! Our! new! project! is! a! proposed! alternative! to! College! of! Law,! to! be! run! in! partnership! with! community! legal! centres!f!The!School!for!Social!Justice.!Essentially,!law!graduates! would!enrol!in!the!School!for!Social!Justice!graduate!program.!The! cost! would! be! competitive! with! other! PLT! courses,! but! unlike! other!courses: • each! graduate! would! be! guaranteed! a! work! experience! placement;! • portions!of!the!course!will!be!lectured!by!judges,!silks!and! senior!practitioners;!and! • graduates! would! have! access! to! a! support! network! throughout!the!year. ! Proceeds!from!the!graduate!course!would!be!contributed!to!the! CLCs,! which! offer! work! placements.! Some! more! information! is! available! at! www.ssj.org.au! and! we! hope! to! make! some! more! details! available! soon.! For! now,! Piddington! thanks! Women! Lawyers!of!WA!members!for!their!continued!support!of!our!events! and!initiatives.!We're!looking!forward!to!a!future!of!making!lots!of! new!things!happen.! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! Lost!and!Found:!Women!in!Leadership' ' ' ' Conrad'Liveris'photo'obtained'online' ' Conrad'Liveris'' Advocate'for'Gender'Equality,'GRAI'(GLBTI'Rights'in'Ageing),'The' Cutting'Room'Floor,'Street'Smugglers' ' It! pains! me,! as! a! proud! West! Australian! that! we! are! not! doing! better!on!gender!equality.!Once!a!leader!on!women!in!leadership,! WA!today!is!lagging!and!dragging.! A!gender!pay!differential! of!25!per!cent,!combine!that!with!the! likelihood! that! companies! without! women! on! their! board! are! more!likely!to!be!headquartered!in!WA!than!any!other!state,!with! only! two! women! in! WA! Cabinet,! three! of! the! 21! justices! of! the! Supreme! Court! are! female,! and! of! pain! to! many:! inadequate! childcare!in!the!CBD.!! Failing! and! flailing,! things! are! terrible! for! women! in! leadership.! Last!month!Women!on!Boards!released!their!Board!Diversity!Index! –! and! WA! is! going! backwards! on! the! issue.! ! Contrasting! this,! Victorian! Premier! Daniel! Andrews! and! his! New! South! Wales! counterpart! Mike! Baird! have! made! pronouncements! in! the! opposite!direction.!Andrews!is!guaranteeing!that!50!per!cent!of!all! future! appointments! to! courts! and! government! boards! will! be! female.! Baird! just! appointed! a! woman! as! Attorney! General.! Far! from! a! hunt! for! votes,! it! was! a! surprise! announcement! after! winning!the!March!28!election.!! Many! of! us! are! tired! of! this! issue.! I! sometimes! wake! up! in! the! morning! and! think! “have! we! dealt! with! gender! inequality! yet?”! What!I!am!becoming!more!confident!on!is!that!action!sits!with!us.! Clearly! something! needs! to! happen.! No! firm,! chambers,! boardroom!table!or!judicial!bench!can!confidently!say!that!they!! ! 12
- 17. ! take!gender!diversity!seriously!if!women!are!inequitably!represented.!Gaining!traction!on!this!issue!takes!all!of!us.!Whether!that!is!asking!the! gender!diversity!question,!sharing!this!newsletter!with!an!influential!colleague,!or!supporting!a!woman!into!leadership!yourself!we!can!all!do! something.! The! harsh! reality! is! that! women! have! been! the! majority! of! law! graduates! since! the! 1980s.! Without! equitable! representation! in! leadership!by!now!how!anyone!can!deduct!anything!but!some!element!of!discrimination!is!beyond!me.!Amongst!all!of!this!I!am!reminded!that! achieving!gender!equality!is!not!about!change!–!it!is!about!managers!doing!their!job.!Organisations!ought!to!reflect!their!clients,!stakeholders!and! talent!pool.! Unfortunately,!I!do!not!see!this!in!the!law.! PAST!EVENTS ' ' 5th!National!Conference!3f5!October! 2014,!Adelaide! ! ! AWL!Conference!2014!Report!! ' Jessica'Stokes'! Editor,' WLWA' committee' member,' Website' Coordinator' and' Communications'Chair'' Associate,'Clyde'&'Co'' ! In!October!I!had!the!pleasure!of!attending!the!Australian!Women! Lawyers! (AWL)! Conference! in! sunny! Adelaide,! South! Australia,! courtesy!of!the!Women!Lawyers!Association!of!WA!and!the!WA!Bar! Association,! along! with! three! other! scholarship! recipients.! AWL! is! the! peak! body! for! women! lawyers! associations! through! Australia! and!is!primarily!concerned!with!issues!relating!to!the!practice!and! advancement! of! women! in! the! legal! profession.! I! was! particularly! interested!in!attending!the!Conference!to!meet!other!women!in!the! law!and!to!discuss!not!only!the!difference!between!states!but!also! the!advantages!and!disadvantages!of!going!to!the!bar,!and!in!some! cases,!the!bench.! The!theme!of!the!Conference!was!Change.!Challenge.!Achieve!and! enticed! practitioners! from! all! over! Australia! and! some! from! New! Zealand!to!attend.!The!Conference!had!many!highlights,!including!a! stimulating! program! of! educational! with! a! variety! of! presentation! topics,!most!with!a!focus!on!the!roles!and!experiences!of!women!in! the!law,!a!few!substantive!law!panels,!and!wellfrenowned!speakers.!! Of! particular! interest! to! me! going! into! the! conference! were! the! panels!on!Social!Media!and!the!Law!(Privacy,!Policies!and!Risks)!and! How!to!build!and!Retain!Your!Client!Practice.!! ! With!14!delegates!from!Western!Australia,!including!the!other! scholarship! winners! Ashleigh! Lindsay,! Mary! Roseingrave! and! Rachael!Avuti,!our!state!interests!were!well!represented!in!the! many!and!varied!discussions!had!at!the!Conference!and!at!the! social!events!with!plenty!of!opportunities!to!meet!and!mingle! with! other! state’s! delegates.! I! especially! enjoyed! meeting! a! number!of!the!delegates!in!a!relaxed!setting!during!the!Pref conference! Wine! Tour! in! Adelaide! Hills! including! current! President!Tina!McAulay!and!Catherine!Fletcher.!! The! Conference! officially! kicked! off! with! a! lavish! Welcome! Reception! at! the! Promenade,! Adelaide! Convention! Centre! (ACC)! overlooking! the! picturesque! River! Torrens.! After! an! introduction!from!the!AWL!President,!Amy!Challans!we!heard! poignant! opening! remarks! by! David! Caruso,! Vice! President,! and!South!Australian!Law!Society.!! Chris!Kourakis,!Chief!Justice!of!the!South!Australian!Supreme! Court,!gave!the!keynote!address!and!raised!a!range!of!really! interesting! points! relevant! to! women! lawyers! and! I! appreciated!his!frank!and!down!to!earth!manner.! ! AWL!Conference!2014,!Ashleigh!Lindsay,!Tina!McAulay,!Jessica!Stokes,! photo!provided!by!AWL!! 13
- 18. ! AWL! Conference! Catherine! Fletcher,! Cathryn! Greville,! photo! provided! by! AWL!! ! The! closing! remarks! given! by! the! Hon.! Margaret! Nyland,! WLASA! Patron!served!to!remind!us!all!why!she!is!the!patron!of!AWL.!Her! energy!and!commitment!to!the!advancement!of!women!within!the! profession!really!is!unsurpassed.!! Day!1!started!with!Welcome!Address!from!Amy!Challans!and!then!a! lively! Keynote! Presentation! by! Christine! Nixon! APM.! ! I! had! never! heard!Christine!Nixon!speak!in!person!before!and!I!was!impressed! with!her!dynamic!description!of!being!one!of!6!females!that!were! hired!by!the!Victorian!Police!Force!when!she!first!joined!in!1972.!Her! rise!to!the!top!and!her!unique!view!on!women!in!law!enforcement! and!the!workplace!made!her!an!informational!and!dynamic!speaker.! ! ! ! AWL!Conference!2014,!Amy!Challans,!photo!obtained!from!AWL!website! I! was! pleasantly! surprised! at! her! candid! description! of! her! experiences! in! changing! challenging! and! achieving! as! a! woman! in! business,!succeeding!in!a!male!dominated!profession!and!extensive! knowledge! in! leadership! and! building! high! performing! teams.!! Christine!provided!valuable!insights!in!relation!to!resilience,!which! particularly!resonated!with!me!and!said!“You!don’t!have!to!tread!on! the!past!to!bring!it!to!the!future.!But!you!do!have!to!figure!out!a!way! to!bring!people!with!you.”!! ! AWL!Conference!2014,!Christine!Nixon,!photo!obtained!from!the!AWL! website! Other!highlights!over!the!day!included!the!presentation!on!the! “NARS!Report!–!The!Business!Benefits!of!Diversity”!by!Fiona! McLeod! SC,! Barrister,! Owen! Dixon! Chambers! (VIC)! and! facilitated!by!Elspeth!Hensler,!AWL!Vice!President.!Following! morning!tea!delegates!attended!the!Panel!Session!“Innovation! in!Legal!Practice”!with!the!discussion!being!led!by!Jodie!Baker,! Managing! Director! and! Founder,! Hive! Legal! (VIC),! Warren! Kalinko,! CEO,! Keypoint! Law! (NSW)! and! Sarah! Rey,! Partner,! Justicia!(VIC).!The!Panel!was!facilitated!by!Daniella!DiGirolamo,! Associate!of!Fisher!Jeffries!(SA).!Panellists! “Marketing! yourself”! session! presented! by! Christine! Smyth,! Partner,! Robbins! Watsons! Solicitors! (QLD)! and! facilitated! by! Leah!Marrone,!Legal!Services!Commission!(SA).!Next!came!the! Panel!Session!“How!to!Build!and!Retain!Your!Client!Base”!with! the!discussion!being!led!by!Deej!Eszenyi,!Barrister,!Geraldine! Hannon! facilitated! by! Kate! Denning,! Special! Counsel.! However,!the!panel!after!lunch!stood!out!by!far!–!‘Surviving! and!thriving!as!a!Successful!Female!Practitioner:!How!to!face! the! challenges! of! practicing! in! the! current! legal! culture”.! Janean! Richard,! Olivia! Perkiss! and! Noor! Blumer,! led! an! engaging! discussion! about! women’s! experiences! of! legal! practice,! leaving! and! returning! to! the! profession,! and! the! reasons!for!the!high!attrition!rate!among!women!in!the!law.! This!panel!was!without!a!doubt!the!highlight!of!the!conference! for! me! and! sparked! a! huge! amount! of! debate! amongst! the! audience.!!! Whilst!the!most!obvious!reason!behind!the!high!proportion!of! women! leaving! the! law! may! be! the! desire! to! raise! a! family,! concerning! examples! of! gender! discrimination! within! the! profession!were!also!brought!up!–!not!only!pay!discrepancies! between! men! and! women! lawyers,! but! also! the! quality! of! work!referred!to!women!lawyers,!the!areas!of!law!considered! to! be! ‘women’s! work’,! a! struggle! to! achieve! promotion! to! senior!roles!and!incidences!of!sexual!harassment.! 14
- 19. Why!women!leave!the!legal!profession!and!do!not!refengage!is!an! important! issue! for! the! national! profession! and! is! highly! topical,! being! the! subject! of! the! National! Attrition! and! Refengagement! Study!(NARS)!commissioned!by!the!Law!Council!of!Australia!in!2013.! Research! was! conducted! to! obtain! quantitative! data! and! confirm! trends!in!progression,!attrition!and!refengagement!rates!of!female! lawyers.!The!research!also!examined!the!qualitative!reasons!behind! these!trends.!The!survey!was!released!in!every!Australian!state!and! territory! and! surveyed! both! men! and! women! who! are! current! practising!lawyers;!lawyers!who!have!never!practised;!and!lawyers! who! are! no! longer! practising.! The! panel! members! discussed! strategies!for!returning!to!work!after!a!career!break,!whether!it!be! for!family!reasons!or!otherwise,!stressing!the!benefits!of!keeping!in! contact!with!colleagues!and!keeping!up!with!developments!in!the! law.! After!a!long!day,!we!all!frocked!up!and!headed!to!the!Gala!dinner!at! the!iconic!Adelaide!Oval.!The!extravagant!evening!was!well!attended! and! was! an! opportunity! for! The! Honourable! Chief! Justice! Diana! Bryant,!patron!of!AWL,!to!present!the!inaugural!Australian!Woman! Lawyer! of! the! Year! Award! (AWL! Award)! to! Professor! Rosalind! Crouch,! President! of! the! Australian! Law! Reform! Commission.! The! Australian!Women!Lawyer!Award!(AWL!Award)!recognises!women! that!have!made!an!outstanding!contribution!to!the!legal!profession! in! Australia! whether! or! not! their! career! has! led! to! the! traditional! route!of!partnership.!WLANSW!Immediate!Past!President,!Margaret! Holz,! noted! ‘Prof! Croucher! is! an! inspirational! leader! in! the! legal! community,!making!a!distinct!contribution!to!law!reform!and!legal! education!across!the!national!stage.!She!has!enthusiastically!taken! on!‘tough’!roles!with!great!success!and!is!a!true!institution!builder.”! The! Keynote! speaker! at! the! Gala,! Rabia! Siddique,! blew! me! away! with!her!eloquent!told!her!story!of!courage!and!determination.!She!!! inspired! everyone! in! the! room! as! she! talked! about! her! life! and! experiences!in!changing!challenging!and!achieving!as!a!female!in!the! military!and!legal!profession.! ! AWL!Conference!2014,!Cathryn!Greville,!Tina!McAulay,!Jessica!Stokes,! photo!obtained!from!AWL!website!! ! AWL!Conference,!Western!Australian!delegates,!photo!obtained!from! the!AWL!website! In!case!you!are!unfamiliar!with!her!story,!after!becoming!one! of!the!youngest!federal!prosecutors!in!Australia!Rabia!moved! to! the! United! Kingdom! and! became! commissioned! Legal! Officer! in! the! British! Army.! Following! a! terrifying! ordeal! in! 2005,! whilst! deployed! to! Iraq,! Rabia,! along! with! a! male! colleague,! assisted! with! the! rescue! of! two! Special! Forces! soldiers!from!Iraqi!insurgents!during!a!hostage!situation!that! garnered!worldwide!attention.!! After! the! Iraq! hostage! situation! Rabia’s! male! colleague! was! awarded!a!Military!Cross!for!outstanding!bravery!for!his!part! in!the!incident,!while!Rabia’s!involvement!was!covered!up!by! the!British!Army!and!Tony!Blair’s!Government.!In!her!fight!for! justice!Rabia!brought!a!landmark!race!and!sex!discrimination! case!against!the!UK!Ministry!for!Defence.!! ! Day! 2! began! with! a! Panel! Session! on! “Social! Media:! Opportunities! and! Challenges”! by! Cassandra! Heilbronn,! Associate,! Minter! Ellison! (QLD)! and! Erin! McCarthy,! Partner,! Piper! Alderman! (SA).! The! session! was! facilitated! by! Shelley! O’Connell,! Solicitor,! Clelands! Lawyers! (SA)! and! was! informative! current! with! a! large! number! of! thoughtful! questions!sparking!lively!debate.!What!I!took!away!from!it!is! keep!Facebook!for!friends,!LinkedIn!for!work!colleagues!and! activate! a! Twitter! Account! to! stay! up! to! date! on! trending! news.!!I!thoroughly!enjoyed!the!next!Panel!Session!“Gender! Bias!in!the!Law!(Ethics)”!where!Cathryn!Greville!and!Catherine! Fletcher!presented!some!of!the!findings!of!the!2014!Review! Report.!! The!other!presenters!at!those!sessions!were!Professor!Sharyn! Roach! Anleu! and! Professor! Margaret! Davies! of! Flinders! University! who! have! both! done! very! interesting! work! in! the! area.! Professor! Roach! Anleu's! recent! work! in! relation! to! appointments!to!the!judiciary!and!the!judicial!workload!neatly! complemented!Cathryn's!presentations.!Professor!Kim!! 15
- 20. Rubenstein’s! description! of! her! oral! history! project! “Trailblazing! women!and!the!law”,!the!discussion!panel!“Surviving!and!thriving! as! a! woman! in! the! law”,! Associate! Professor! Maryam! Omari’s! presentation!on!workplace!bullying!in!the!profession,!and!a!panel! discussion! on! social! media! which! gave! some! of! us! pause! for! thought!before!next!logging!on!to!Facebook!or!Twitter.!! Following! the! Conference! Closing! I! attended! the! AWL! AGM! at! Jolley’s!Boathouse!Restaurant!and!was!proud!to!witness!our!very! own!Elspeth!Hensler!nominated!at!AWL!Vice!President.!All!in!all! the!Conference!was!a!success!exposing!all!delegates!to!a!range!of! experiences! equipping! us! with! the! knowledge! to! Change.! Challenge.! Achieve! in! our! chosen! careers.! As! lawyers! we! are! engaged!with!the!law!and!justice!on!a!daily!basis.!!Sometimes!the! battle!for!justice!may!seem!far!removed!from!the!world!of!endless! email! correspondence,! drafting! documents,! and! desperately! trying!to!figure!out!the!photocopier!when!all!the!secretaries!have! left!for!the!day.!!But!we!should!remember!that!we!chose!to!study! law!for!a!reason,!and!it!is!worth!remembering!the!values,!which! led!us!here!–!a!belief!in!the!pursuit!of!justice!and!the!rule!of!law.!! As!a!profession,!we!are!extremely!well!placed!to!advocate,!lobby,! and! persuade! others! –! we! have! the! skills,! the! tools,! and! the! education!to!do!so!on!behalf!of!others!who!do!not.! I!am!very!grateful!to!Women!Lawyers!of!WA!for!the!opportunity! to!attend!the!AWL!Conference.!It!was!an!excellent!weekend!and!I! definitely!recommend!attending!the!next!one.!! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! AWL!Conference,!Western!Australian!delegates,!photo!obtained!from!the! AWL!website! ! Women!in!Leadership!Summit! ! On!8!and!9!December!2014!I!attended!the!second!annual!Women! in!Leadership!Summit!on!behalf!of!WLWA.!It!is!a!fantastic!event! that!brings!some!of!the!country's!most!successful!and!motivating! female!leaders!together!to!discuss!changes!in!the!way!we!need!to!! do! business.! The! summit! is! an! interactive! twofday! forum! designed!for!those!in!leadership!roles!in!their!community!who! wish!to!proactively!develop!their!career!in!a!meaningful!way.!!! Attendees!learnt!from!the!personal!experiences!of!esteemed! speakers!including!Hon!Elizabeth!Lloyd!Behjat!MLC,!Members! for!North!Metropolitan!Region!Liberal!Party,!Samantha!Tough,! Director!of!CBH!Group,!Jillian!Terry,!Vice!President!Geoscience! at!BHP!Billiton,!Claire!Negus,!DirectorfCommercial!at!Roy!Hill,! Julie! Shuttleworth,! General! Manager! at! Fortescue! Metals! Group! and! Kiersten! Gregg,! General! Manager,! Human! Resources!at!Rio!Tinto.!!I!felt!empowered!as!I!listened!to!the! personal! journeys! of! the! speakers! and! was! excited! to! implement!first!hand!advice!on!refining!leadership!skills!in!and! the! face! of! workplace! challenges.! I! particularly! enjoyed! the! inspiring!talk!by!Male!Champion!of!Change!Mark!McNulty!WA! Managing!Partner!of!Deloitte.!! ! WLWA!High!Tea! ! ! ' Woman'Lawyers'High'Tea,'Catherine'Fletcher,'Tara'Conolly,' photo'provided'by'Jessica'P'Stokes'Photography'' ! On!Friday!6!March!2015!I!attended!the!Fifth!annual!Joint!Law! Society/Woman! Lawyers! High! tea! to! celebrate! International! Woman's! Day! at! the! Parmelia! Hilton! in! Perth.! ! Attendees! enjoyed!an!array!of!delicious!food!and!listened!to!an!excellent! panel!discussing!the!theme!"Let's!not!wait!another!20!years! for! gender! equality."! ! WLWA! President! Tina! McAulay! facilitated! the! panel! discussion! with! opening! remarks! by! Elizabeth! Heenan.! Speakers! included! the! Honourable! Justice! Pritchard!of!the!Supreme!Court!of!Western!Australia,!followed! by! Equal! Opportunity! Commissioner,! Alannah! Lucas,! and! Matthew! Keogh,! President! of! the! Law! Society! of! Western! Australia.!! 16
- 21. ! Woman!Lawyers!High!Tea,!Elizabeth!Heenan,!Tina!McAulay,!photo! provided!by!Jessica!P!Stokes!Photography!! ! Woman'Lawyers'High'Tea,'Alannah'Lucas,'photo'provided'by'Jessica'P' Stokes'Photography'' ! WLWA!Christmas!Networking!Party! ! On! 9! December! 2014! WLWA! committee! members! celebrated! Christmas! and! the! year’s! achievements! at! the! end! of! year! Christmas! Function! at! the! Rubix! Bar! Café! in! Perth.! Attendees! enjoyed!drinks!and!canapés!with!friends!and!colleagues.!! WLWA! also! took! the! opportunity! to! collect! donations! for! the! Women's! Refuges! in! the! lead! up! to! Christmas.! Women! and! children! in! refuges! have! experienced! family! and! domestic! violence.! Many! have! been! forced! to! leave! their! home! without! their! belongings.! WLWA! Members! generously! donated! a! large! amount!of!new!toiletries,!which!were!gratefully!received!by!the! refuge. ! ! Meet!the!Silks! ! On! the! 12! March! 2015,! I! joined! members! of! the! legal! profession!at!the!annual!Meet!the!Silks!Event!with!2014!Senior! Counsel!appointees!Martin!Cuerden!SC!and!Mr!Michael!Berry! SC! at! the! Central! Park.! Cofhosted! by! the! Piddington! Society! and! WLWA,! the! topic! of! the! night! at! "Meet! the! Silks"! was! ethical!challenges!in!the!law.!! Bigger! than! before,! the! large! turnout! saw! members! of! the! legal!community!from!all!parts!of!the!city!gather!to!network! and! listen! to! the! 2014! Senior! Counsel! appointees! Martin! Cuerden!and!Michael!Berry!share!the!enlightening!stories!of! their!careers!in!the!law.! Gail! Archer! then! facilitated! a! panel! discussion! where! Martin! and! Michael! were! joined! by! Christine! Wheeler! and! Peter! Quinlan!who!took!questions!from!the!crowd.!Attendees!were! lucky!enough!to!be!given!hot!tips!and!frank!advice!on!how!to! deal!with!ethical!dilemmas!such!as!a!hostile!bench!and!hearing! candid!stories!from!the!speakers!of!their!early!experiences!in! the!courtroom.!! Following!the!panel!discussion!there!were!networking!drinks! where!the!guests!mingled!and!exchanged!war!stories.!Another! interesting! and! well! organised! CPD! event! by! Nicholas! van! Hattem!and!the!Piddington!Society.!This!event!was!sponsored! by!Pitcher!Partners,!Law!in!Order!and!KBE!Human!Capital,!and! supported!by!DLA.!! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! Meet$the$Silks,$Gail$Archer,$Martin$Cuerden$SC,$Michael$Berry$SC,$ Christine$Wheeler$and$Peter$Quinlan,$photo$provided$by$Jessica$P$Stokes$ Photography$$ $ $ $ 17
- 22. WLWA!Honours!Dinner!! ! ' WLWA'Honours'Dinner,'photo'provided'by'Will'Russell! Women! Lawyers! of! Western! Australia! Inc.! hosted! the! 2015! Women!Lawyers!Honours!Dinner!on!Friday!13!March!2015.!! Close! to! 200! people! were! in! attendance! at! the! annual! blackftie! event!to!celebrate!the!achievements!of!Western!Australia!women! lawyers!and!in!particular!to!acknowledge!the!appointment!of!Her! Excellency! the! Honourable! Kerry! Sanderson! AO! (Governor)! and! honouring! the! appointments! of! Her! Honour! Judge! Vicki! Laura! Stewart! (District! Court),! Her! Honour! Magistrate! Ciara! Tyson! (Family! Court),! Member! Karen! Whitney! (State! Administrative! Tribunal)! and! Member! Hannah! Leslie! (State! Administrative! Tribunal).!! President!Tina!McAulay,!Vice!President!Anne!Wood!and!the!rest! of! the! WLWA! Committee! and! Event! Working! Group! were! delighted!to!announce!the!recipients!of!the!Women!Lawyer!of!the! Year! Awards! and! hear! the! stories! of! these! incredible! women! including! Susan! Fielding! (Senior! Woman! Lawyer! of! the! Year),! Elspeth!Hensler!(Woman!Lawyer!of!the!Year),!Jessica!Bowman!and! Stephanie! Puris! (Joint! Woman! Lawyer! of! the! Year),! Samantha! Martella! (Rural! Regional! and! Remote! Lawyer! of! the! Year).! We! were! also! thrilled! that! Clare! Thompson! was! able! to! attend! and! announce!that!Laura!Vincent!was!the!recipient!of!the!Aboriginal! Women's! Legal! Education! Trust! Scholarship.! WLWA! thanks! its! sponsors! from! the! night! John! Toohey! Chambers,! Law! CPD! and! ipac.!! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! WLWA! Honours! Dinner,! Gail! Archer! photo! provided! by! Will! Russell! WLWA!Honours!Dinner!Sponsors! ! The!Honours!Dinner!is!the!highlight!of!the!WLWA!calendar,!a! highlight! that! would! not! be! possible! without! the! generous! support! of! our! sponsors.! WLWA! wishes! to! thank! the! 2015! sponsors! of! the! Honours! Dinner:! our! gold! sponsor,! John! Toohey! Chambers;! our! silver! sponsor,! Law! CPD;! and! our! bronze! sponsor! ipac.! We! also! thank! Ruc! Cullen! of! Cullen! Wines,! Babington! and! Hughes! for! the! contribution! and! support! of! the! Gender! Bias! Project.! Special! thanks! to! our! photographer! Will! Russell! for! these! beautiful! photos! that! really!captured!the!evening.!www.willrussell.com.au!! ! ! John!Toohey!Chambers!is!named!in!honour!of!the!Honourable! John!Toohey!AC!QC,!who!was!appointed!to!the!High!Court!of! Australia! in! 1987.! Today,! John! Toohey! Chambers! has! 27! members,!three!of!who!are!senior!counsel,!and!eight!of!who! are! female.! Members! practice! in! a! wide! variety! of! areas,! including! Native! Title! and! Aboriginal! Heritage! law,! Human! Rights! law,! Environmental! law,! and! Local! Government,! Planning!and!Development!law.!! 18
- 23. ! WLWA!mourn!the!loss!of!John!Leslie!Toohey!who!passed!away!on! 9!April!2015,!aged!85.!John!Toohey!was!an!Australian!judge!who! was!a!Justice!of!the!High!Court!of!Australia!from!1987!to!1998!and! was! one! of! Australia's! most! eminent! jurists! and! contributors! to! the!law!and!justice.! Mr!Toohey!was!a!wellfrespected!solicitor!and!president!of!the!Law! Society!before!his!appointment!to!the!Federal!Court!and!then!the! High! Court.! He! was! involved! in! significant! legal! cases! affecting! significant! political! and! social! justice! reforms! in! Aboriginal! law,! criminal!law,!contract!law,!restitution!and!property!law,!including! sitting! as! a! judge! in! the! High! Court! for! the! landmark! Mabo! decision.! The! 1992! Mabo! judgement! was! a! watershed! land! rights! ruling,! finding! the! Meriam! people! were! entitled! to! possession,! occupation,!use!and!enjoyment!of!the!lands!in!the!Murray!Islands! in!the!eastern!section!of!the!Torres!Strait.! Mr! Toohey! was! also! the! inaugural! lawyer! at! the! Port! Hedland! office!of!the!Aboriginal!Legal!Service!of!WA,!president!of!the!WA! Bar! Association,! inaugural! Aboriginal! Land! Commissioner! for! the! Northern! Territory,! presidential! member! of! the! Administrative! Appeals!Tribunal,!a!judge!of!the!Supreme!Court!of!the!Northern! Territory! and! an! independent! member! of! the! Bloody! Sunday! Inquiry.! ! Making!it!happen!at!John!Toohey! Chambers! ! ! Teresa'Farmer''! Barrister,'John'Toohey'Chambers'' ' Statistically!women!at!the!Independent!Bar!in!Perth!remain!underf represented.!!The!website!for!the!West!Australian!Bar!Association! lists!198!members,!of!whom!39!(or!just!under!1/5th)!are!women.! Happily! it! can! be! reported! that! the! figures! for! John! Toohey! Chambers!are!somewhat!healthier.!!Whilst!the!men!still!! outnumber! the! women! (19! to! 8)! the! proportion! is! closer! to! 1/3rd.! John! Toohey! Chambers! has! a! policy! of! nonfdiscrimination.!! Neither! gender,! religion! nor! political! persuasion! is! a! bar! to! inclusion.! ! On! the! contrary,! the! variety! of! individuals! engenders!collegiality!and!positive!discourse.!!Discussions!can! be! robust,! but! all! points! of! view! are! respected.! ! Ideas! are! shared,! resources! pooled! and! knowledge! freely! exchanged.!! Women!are!very!much!encouraged!to!be!active!members!of! chambers,!as!are!all!our!members.!!For!members!who!chose! to!work!less!than!full!time!hours,!including!women!with!young! children,! Chambers! can! (and! does)! provide! shared! room! arrangements! and! recognises! the! particular! challenges! that! face!such!members.! When! speaking! of! our! members! and! the! environment! in! chambers!I!have!tried!to!avoid!the!use!of!the!terms!“support”! or!“supportive”.!!To!use!those!phrases!connotes!that!there!is!a! dependence!or!need!that!requires!some!third!party!efforts!to! make!women!successful!at!the!Bar.!!This!is!not!my!experience! as!women,!just!like!men,!have!sufficient!abilities!and!skills!to! be! recognised! as! a! quality! advocate! or! lawyer! without! the! need!to!resort!to!gender,!given!an!even!playing!field!on!which! to!compete!(in!many!cases,!performing!even!better!).!!! Whilst! my! personal! experiences! are! of! no,! or! occasional,! positive!discrimination!within!the!law!(as!a!barrister!working!in! the! field! of! family! law),! it! is! recognised! that! this! is! not! the! experience!of!all!women!lawyers!for!we!do!not!yet!live!in!an! era! where! the! impediments! to! the! advancement! of! women! have!been!completely!extinguished!in!society!generally.!!The! recent!reports!show!that!gender!inequality!remains!something! of! a! feature! in! our! profession! and! that! can! hardly! be! an! attraction!to!new!graduates!seeking!to!enter!the!law,!or!more! experienced! women! seeking! to! join! the! Bar.! ! Whilst! clearly! there! has! been! progress! over! the! years,! more! needs! to! be! done!to!achieve!that!even!playing!field.! ! ! LawCPD,! our! silver! sponsor,! provides! online! interactive! legal! CPD! training! for! lawyers! around! Australia.! In! Western! Australia,! LawCPD’s! courses! are! classified! as! an! interactive! activity,! which! means! that! both! barristers! and! solicitors! can! earn!1!CPD!point!for!each!hour!of!CPD!completed!through!the! LawCPD!website!and!can!claim!all!10!CPD!points!for!the!CPD! year!through!LawCPD.!The!flexibility!of!LawCPD’s!online!! 19
- 24. delivery!system!means!that!the!service!is!ideal!for!those!working! remotely,!as!sessions!can!be!completed!anywhere!on!the!internet.!! ! Ipac! Western! Australia! is! one! of! Australia’s! leading! financial! advisory!firms!specialising!in!personal!financial!advice.!Nationally,!! its!founders!include!leading!financial!commentator!and!author! Paul! Clitheroe! AM,! and! respected! investment! strategist! and! author!Arun!Abey.!Ipac!WA!started!back!in!1986!in!Subiaco.!In! 1987!the!CEO!Patrick!Canion!joined,!and!in!2003!they!joined! the! ipac! family.! Ipac! used! its! expertise! to! attract! many! of! Perth’s!leading!financial!advisers!to!join!in!subsequent!years.! !! ! ! INTERVIEWS! Interview!with!WLWA!President!–!Tina! McAulay! Jessica'Stokes'' ! Tina'McAulay,'photo'provided'by'Jessica'P'Stokes'Photography' ' As! part! of! our! International! Women's! Day! celebrations,! Women! Lawyers! of! Western! Australia! have! been! sharing! the! inspiring! stories!of!the!Women!of!Western!Australia.!We!began!by!sitting! down! with! WLWA! President! Tina! McAulay! to! discuss! what! International!Women's!Day!means!to!her.! Please'introduce'yourself.' My! name! is! Tina! McAulay! and! I! am! the! President! of! Women! Lawyers!of!Western!Australia!Inc.!I!am!a!lawyer,!I!am!a!mum,!I!am!! ! a! daughter,! a! sister,! and! an! aunty.! I! am! a! mentor,! I! am! a! mentee! and! I! support! and! promote! the! advancement! of! women.! What' does' International' Women’s' Day' mean' to' you?' International!Women’s!Day!means!a!day!to!not!only!celebrate! the!achievement!of!women,!of!women’s!progress,!it!is!about! continuing!to!strive!for!equality,!it!means!standing!up!against! inequality! and! it! means! listening! to! the! influential! stories! of! other!women!and!supporting!women!on!a!global!scale.!Start! small,!aim!high,!achieve.! Did' you' do' anything' to' commemorate' IWD?' If' so,' what'did'you'do'and'why?' I!commemorated!IWD!by!posting!about!IWD!on!social!media.!I! attended!and!chaired!the!High!Tea!for!women!lawyers!hosted! by!The!Law!Society!–!aimed!at!addressing!gender!inequality.!I! attended! the! launch! of! International! Women’s! Day! by! the! Minister!for!Women’s!Interests,!the!Hon.!Liza!Harvey!MLA!and! I! have! been! preparing! for! the! WLWA! Honours! dinner! for! Friday!13!March!2015!to!coincide!with!IWD!to!celebrate!the! remarkable!achievements!of!women!in!the!law.! What'do'you'think'are'the'biggest'challenges'facing' women'in'the'law'and'the'administration'of'justice?' There!are!so!many.!To!start,!unconscious!bias!is!probably!the! biggest!challenge.!Unconscious!bias!is!not!just!by!men,!many! women!also!are!unconsciously!bias!towards!men!because!the! profession! is! so! largely! male! dominated.! Educating! the! profession! and! addressing! this! is! important.! Women! face! 20
- 25. prejudices! in! salary! equality.! This! is! challenging! when! men! with!the!same!level!of!experience!as!you!are!receiving!more! money!without!justification.! Flexible! work! practices! and! career! advancement! is! another! big! challenge.! The! Government! has! come! a! long! way,! but! private! practice!needs!to!ensure!flexible!practice!and!not!being!available! 24/7! or! in! the! office! for! 10! hours! a! day! is! mainstream.! The! work/life!balance!and!changing!the!culture!of!the!profession!away! from! the! need! to! be! in! the! office! for! long! hours! is! essential.! Minimum! conditions! of! employment! need! to! be! created.! Employers!need!to!be!held!to!task.!Expecting!employees!to!be!in! the! office! for! long! days! every! day! has! an! effect! on! the! mental! health! and! wellbeing! of! the! profession.! The! Government! has! awards! to! govern! this.! Private! practice! needs! to! catch! up.! I! commend! those! organisations! that! already! have! flexible! work! practices!in!place,!well!done.! As!for!the!administration!of!justice,!there!are!plenty!of!challenges! women! face! in! getting! access! to! justice.! Education! of! cultural! diversity!in!all!courts!is!important.!! Providing! adequate! facilities! to! women! in! courts! is! important,! including!child!care!facilities,!breastfeeding!facilities!and!separate! waiting! areas! for! victims! of! crime! –! it! is! abhorrent! that! women! have!to!sit!in!the!same!waiting!areas!as!their!attacker!while!they! wait! for! their! matter! to! be! called.! The! Gender! Bias! Taskforce! Review!Report!looks!at!these!issues!in!more!detail,!including!the! challenges!women!face!in!crime.! What' do' you' think' are' the' biggest' challenges' facing' women' in' the' legal' profession,' and' do' you' think' the' challenges'change'as'a'woman’s'career'evolves?' Some! of! the! biggest! challenges! facing! women! in! the! legal! profession! I! have! dealt! with! already.! The! challenges! definitely! change! as! a! woman’s! career! evolves.! For! example,! as! a! junior! practitioner,! you! face! challenges! of! working! long! hours! and! pay! disparity.!As!your!career!develops!and!you!have!children,!you!face! challenges! of! balancing! work! and! family! –! which! is! particularly! difficult!if!you!are!expected!to!be!in!the!office!for!long!days!–!that! means!you!are!away!from!your!children!for!10!plus!hours!a!day!if! you! work! full! time! and! may! not! even! see! them! awake.! Other! challenges!are!whether!you!can!either!afford!to!work!flexibly!or! part!time!or!if!your!employer!allows!it.!I!think!it!is!generally!known! if! you! reduce! your! workload! you! face! difficulty! being! promoted! and! advancing! at! the! same! rate! a! counterpart! would! that! has! continued!to!work!full!time.!As!you!get!older,!caring!for!parents,! school!events!etc.!have!an!impact.!Also,!lacking!the!energy!to!keep! working!those!hours!has!a!negative!impact!on!mental!health!and! wellbeing!and!is!physically!draining.! When'and'how'did'you'first'become'aware'of'these' challenges?' Were' you' aware' of' this' issue' at' law' school?' I!was!somewhat!aware!of!these!challenges!at!law!school!but!it! doesn’t! really! hit! home! until! it! happens! to! you.! Having! children!and!being!able!to!juggle!everything!is!a!real!challenge,! especially! when! you! are! running! your! own! business! and! involved!in!numerous!committees,!playing!very!active!roles.!I! have!learnt!that!as!much!as!I!have!tried!to!be!superwoman,!it! really!is!challenging.! What' do' you' think' the' legal' profession' can' do' about'some'of'these'challenges?' The! legal! profession! can! address! this! by! promoting! the! advancement!of!women.!This!includes!briefing!more!women! at! the! bar,! especially! in! complex! litigation.! They! can! ask! for! women! to! junior! senior! counsel.! They! can! account! to! the! profession!for!their!briefs!to!women!and!adhere!to!the!model! briefing!policy.!The!bar!could!also!introduce!a!clerking!system! similar! to! that! used! in! the! Eastern! States,! so! that! work! is! divided!up.!Obviously!in!WA!you!face!the!added!challenge!of! having!to!find!your!own!work,!which!really!leaves!you!to!get! the!small!work!from!the!small!firms!because!unless!you!have!a! promoter!in!the!profession!to!introduce!you!to!the!big!firms! and!clients!and!give!you!challenging!work,!it!will!be!a!long!time! before! you! get! there! yourself.! Particularly! having! promoters! will!help!achieve!this.! Despite' the' obvious' answer,' what' role' do' you' believe' other' women' have' in' promoting' other' women'in'the'workplace?'' Women!have!an!important!role!to!promote!other!women!in! the!workplace.!Men!do!it!to!other!men,!so!why!don’t!women! do!it!enough?!There!has!been!a!lot!of!focus!in!recent!years! about! mentors,! but! not! about! promoters.! The! He! for! She! campaign! and! male! champions! of! change! are! all! great! initiatives! to! help! support! women’s! advancement! and! it! is! a! community! issue.! The! CEO’s! for! Gender! Equity! is! another! initiative!to!help!support!women!at!senior!level.!However,!if! women!don’t!support,!encourage!and!promote!other!women,! it! just! makes! it! even! harder! to! get! ahead.! Lawyers! are! naturally! competitive,! but! that! doesn’t! mean! other! women! should!be!mean.!Grow!up,!support,!encourage!and!promote! the! advancement! of! other! women! and! you! will! feel! much! better!for!it.!What!you!get!out!of!helping!someone!is!much! better!than!the!feeling!you!get!from!being!mean.!! ! 21
- 26. What' steps' do' you' think' an' organisation' can' take' to' cultivate'a'flexible'work'practice?' There! are! many! steps! an! organisation! can! take! to! cultivate! a! flexible! work! practice.! Organisations! include! universities,! government!employers!–!including!the!Courts!providing!part!time! or! flexible! judicial! appointments,! private! practice! and! infhouse.! Professional! bodies! also! have! a! role! to! play! in! promoting,! supporting! and! encouraging! flexible! work! practice.! Some! of! the! steps!include:! • Move!away!from!a!24/7!availability! • Encourage!employees!to!work!remotely! • Move! away! from! time! billing,! focus! on! deliverables! (it! doesn’t!matter!if!that!work!is!done!in!the!office!or!at!10pm! at! night! at! home! –! what! matters! is! the! result! and! productivity)! • Be!flexible!and!your!employees!are!more!likely!to!be!flexible! with!you! • Be!collegiate!and!communicate!about!flexibility! • Have! policies,! there! is! a! policy! you! can! adopt! on! The! Law! Society!website!if!you!don’t!have!one!already!–!be!open!to! negotiation!–!what!works!for!one!might!not!suit!another! • Support,! encourage! and! promote! the! advancement! of! women! –! it’s! good! for! business! –! look! at! your! business! cases,!can!you!improve!them?! Do' you' believe' there' are' biases' against' people' who' work'part'time/'flexibility'and'if'so,'what'are'they'and' what'can'you'do'to'change'this?' There! are! biases! against! people! who! work! part! time! or! flexibly,! but! these! biases! may! be! more! unconscious! than! conscious.! For! example,!it!may!be!seen!that!they!don’t!put!in!enough!effort.!The! consultations! from! the! GBT! Review! Report! show! however,! that! most! women! who! work! part! time! or! flexibly! actually! give! more! time! and!work!than!they!are!getting!paid!a! pro!rata!rate!for.!The! prejudices!are!because!of!a!lack!of!knowledge!or!understanding.! Change! the! culture! of! thinking! everyone! must! be! in! the! office! from!8am!to!6pm.!People!are!most!productive!at!different!times.! Be!accepting!of!contributions!people!make!and!be!open!to!new! ways! of! achieving! those! outcomes.! Create! a! diversity! representative! in! your! workplace! –! to! help! articulate! some! of! these!issues!and!assist!flexible!practice.!You!will!find!it!isn’t!always! the! women! that! want! to! work! flexibly.! It! should! be! part! of! everyday!practice.! Senior!Woman!Lawyer!of!the!Year!f! Susan!Fielding! ! The! Senior! Woman! Lawyer! of! the! Year! award! recognises! women!who!have!provided!leadership!in!the!legal!profession! over!a!long!period!of!time,!whether!in!Australia!or!overseas.!! The!four!nominees!in!this!category!were!Rebecca!Lee,!Susan! Fielding,! Luisa! Dropulich! and! Rabia! Siddique! with! Susan! ultimately! winning! the! award.! Susan! has! balanced! work! and! family! (3! daughters)! for! the! last! 43! years,! maintaining! a! prominent!career!in!the!law!at!the!same!time.!Susan!was!kind! enough! to! answer! the! following! questions! in! relation! to! her! career.! Susan!is!Special!Counsel!at!Jackson!McDonald!and!some!of!her! many!contributions!to!the!legal!community!include!supporting! and!encouraging!the!promotion!of!careers!of!women!within! the!profession!as!well!as!mentoring!women!in!the!profession.!! ! Interview!with!Susan!Fielding! ' WLWA'Honours'Dinner,'Susan'Fielding,'photo'provided'by'Will'Russell' Please'tell'us'about'your'background'and'history.'' Like!A!B!Facey!I!have!had!a!‘fortunate!life.!I!was!born!into!a! family! where! due! to! the! fact! that! my! grandmother! and! mother! were! both! widowed! at! an! early! age! and! each! went! back!into!the!workforce!at!a!time!when!women!did!not!usually! work,!there!was!always!a!concern!by!them!that!I!should!have!a! career!and!be!able!to!support!myself.! Initially,! I! was! educated! at! a! small! country! primary! school! where! I! was! lucky! enough! to! have! several! outstanding! teachers.!Then,!with!the!assistance!of!a!scholarship!I!went!to!a!! 22
- 27. girls!secondary!boarding!school,!one!of!only!five!or!six!from!my! grade!7!class!whose!parents!were!not!only!able,!but!prepared!to! educate!a!daughter.!At!my!secondary!school,!I!was!encouraged!to! aim! for! university.! This! was! unusual! at! most! girls’! secondary! schools! in! the! fifties.! Latin,! physics,! chemistry! and! mathematics! were!all!part!of!the!upper!school!curriculum!at!my!school! How'and'why'were'you'called'to'practice'law?'' I! did! not! receive! any! “calling”! to! study! law.! Although! I! had! matriculated!with!physics!and!mathematics!as!two!of!my!subjects! I!did!not!want!to!study!the!sciences.!Nor!did!I!want!to!be!a!teacher! or!a!librarian,!which!in!the!early!sixties!was!the!fate!of!most!arts! graduates.! At! our! school! careers! evening! for! the! first! time! a! woman!lawyer!came!to!speak!about!her!career!as!a!lawyer.!Three! of!my!friends!thought!they!might!try!law.!When!I!broached!the! idea!at!home!my!mother!and!stepfather!were!very!supportive!and! so,!with!a!Commonwealth!Scholarship!to!pay!the!fees,!I!enrolled!in! the!Bachelor!of!Laws!course!at!Adelaide!University.! As!soon!as!I!graduated,!I!married!and!my!husband!and!I!came!to! Perth!where!I!had!the!good!fortune!to!be!articled!to!Joan!Heenan.! Mrs!Heenan!was!at!the!time,!one!of!four!partners!in!the!firm!of!E! M!Heenan!&!Co!but!she!was!the!partner!who!everyone!in!the!firm! relied!on.!She!was!respected!by!all!in!the!legal!profession!in!Perth! at! the! time.! She! encouraged! me! to! do! a! wide! range! of! work! including!appearing!in!Court.! What' do' you' think' are' the' biggest' challenges' facing' women'in'the'law'and'the'administration'of'justice?' Less! than! two! years! after! I! was! admitted! our! first! daughter! was! born.!I!continued!to!work!from!home!and!indeed,!initially!from!the! hospital!bed.!In!the!days!before!computers!this!was!somewhat!of!a! challenge!as!the!files!had!to!be!delivered!to!me!and!I!had!to!return! them!to!the!office.!My!husband!worked!in!the!city!and!so!our!car,! which!was!parked!behind!his!office,!was!left!unlocked!and!was!used! as!a!sort!of!post!office!box.!Every!now!and!then!I!would!need!to!go! into! the! office! and! would! arrive! complete! with! pram! and! baby.! Clients! were! often! unaware! that! I! was! usually! at! home! as! most! office!telephone!calls!were!returned!when!the!baby!was!asleep.! If! we! had! had! only! had! one! daughter! I! would! probably! have! continued!to!work!without!a!very!long!break!in!my!career.!However,! much! to! my! surprise! I! enjoyed! motherhood.! As! my! husband! was! also!a!lawyer!we!made!the!decision!that!the!care!of!our!daughters! would!primarily!be!my!responsibility.!I!continued!to!work!but!initially! on! a! very! part! time! basis,! which! was! gradually! increased! as! our! daughters,!started!school.! I! do! not! regret! the! choice! I! made! to! spend! time! away! from! my! career!to!bring!up!our!three!daughters.!I!considered!that!I!was!lucky! to!be!able!to!make!that!choice.!As!soon!as!I!started!working!full!time!! again!I!became!a!Senior!Associate!at!Minter!Ellison!Northmore! Hale,!which!by!then!incorporated!E!M!Heenan!&!Co.!Minter! Ellison!Northmore!Hale!took!what!was!then!an!innovative!step! for!full!time!employees!with!school!age!children.!In!addition!to! normal!annual!leave!employees!with!school!age!children!were! permitted!to!take!up!to!four!weeks!unpaid!leave!to!use!during! school! holidays.! Employees! with! school! age! children! were! given!priority!to!take!leave!in!the!school!holidays.!Without!this! change!it!would!have!been!difficult!for!me!to!work!full!time!as! vacation!care!had!not!yet!been!developed.!! What'do'you'think'are'the'biggest'challenges'facing' women'in'the'legal'profession,'and'do'you'think'the' challenges'change'as'a'woman’s'career'evolves?' The! challenges! facing! women! in! the! law! are! similar! to! the! challenges!facing!women!in!all!the!professions,!if!they!decide! they!want!to!have!children!and!be!actively!involved!in!the!dayf tofday! care! of! those! children.! For! example,! our! middle! daughter!is!a!civil!engineer!who!in!her!twenties!was!working! on! some! big! mining! projects! in! the! Pilbara.! She! and! her! husband! wanted! children! and! so! she! resigned! from! a! job,! which!she!found!exciting!(and!exhausting)!and!began!working! in! project! management! so! she! could! combine! work! and! motherhood.!Not!everyone!makes!this!choice.!As!Julie!Bishop! said!recently!–!“We!can’t!have!it!all”.! As!I!approach!retirement!I!look!back!on!a!career,!which!has! been!rewarding!and!intellectually!satisfying!at!the!same!time! as!allowing!me!to!have!a!fulfilling!family!life.!! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! 23