Alexander Carter-Silk, European head of IP at Brown Rudnick, hit the headlines after sending a message on professional networking site LinkedIn to human rights barrister Charlotte Proudman, commenting on her picture.

We have all seen how the media has pounced on the story this week about the barrister, the lawyer and LinkedIn. But leaving aside the 'he said, she said' and looking past how this story got into the public domain in the first place, as this plays out in the press the resulting debate is throwing up important issues.

We all have our own views and experiences that shape what and how we think about men and women in the workplace. Some will argue that sexism is rife and not enough is being done to combat it; others will say that we have made significant progress and whether you are a man or a woman is no longer an issue. My view is that we are somewhere in between – and the debates going on this week reinforce the point that there is still more to be done.

I have been incredibly fortunate in my career to have benefited from good mentors (all male, which tells you something about the changes that have taken place during my career!). I have seen first-hand the improvements that have been made not only in the legal sector, but also in the business and corporate community more generally. There has been a shift in the way people think and female role models in senior positions are more prominent. I can look back and confidently pinpoint stark differences between now and then; I can see that progress has been made.

However, despite things having moved on considerably, there is always more that can be done.

It is certainly the case that, 40 years after the passing of the Sex Discrimination Act in 1975, it remains relatively unusual for women to have very senior posts in our profession.

Lady Hale is the only woman among the 12 justices of the Supreme Court, while eight of the 42 Court of Appeal judges are female.

Among QCs, the Bar Council's diversity statistics show that in 2014, out of the 1625 QCs, 215 (13%) were women.

Depending on which statistics you use, women represent between 25-30% of top 100 law firm partnerships, but a much smaller percentage of the senior partner and managing partner roles.

We are seeing more senior female role models now, and the statistics are steadily improving. We are understanding unconscious bias better than we ever did, and healthy debate goes a long way when it comes to shining a light on the areas where there are still further improvements to be made.

So let us not despair or be discouraged. Let us support each other and support all the young lawyers starting out in our profession. Let us work together to continue to improve, and let us actually mean and act on the fine words we say on equality in the profession. Men and women entering the legal sector today are doing so with expectations of equality for all and we all have a duty to make this a reality. If the next 40 years are anything like the last, things can only get better.

Jennie Gubbins is senior partner at Trowers & Hamlins. The views expressed in this article are her own.

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