PRESS / SPEECHES

Pilot testing for the Women Lawyers’ Association of NSW (WLANSW) Career Intentions Survey will commence this month, with a summary report of findings to be released later this year.

Despite an increasing number of women undertaking legal studies, there still remains a disappointingly small number of women reaching senior positions in all sectors of law and business. The aim of the survey is to obtain data with a view to tracking and analysing career paths and decisions of both female and male law graduates in New South Wales.

This survey will be the first comprehensive research project on women in the NSW legal profession since the research undertaken for the 1995 Keys Young report commissioned by the Ministry for the Status and Advancement of Women. The Career Intentions Survey project is consistent with the recommendations in this report and other reports such as the Law Society of New South Wales’ 2002 After Ada report and the Law Society of New South Wales’ 2011 Thought Leadership report.

“We are very proud and excited to announce that the Bar Association of NSW immediately signed up as a principal sponsor of this new project,” says Rebecca Barry, President of WLANSW.

“We now call upon law firms, corporations, other industry bodies, and government departments who are potential partners for WLANSW for this major project to come forward and show their support and follow the Bar Association’s example in financially supporting this groundbreaking research,” says Ms Barry.

“We call on these potential partners to follow through on their commitment to diversity and equal opportunity and sponsor our Career Intentions Survey initiative, and welcome their support” says Ms Barry.

Information about the WLANSW Career Intentions Survey project and the Sponsorship Proposal for the project is available on the WLANSW website.

For further information and enquiries please contact Kathryn McKenzie, Executive Officer at executive@womenlawyersnsw.org.au or on 0466 157 087.