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International Edition

With pregnancy discrimination cases rising, flexibility is key to retaining talented women

I was surprised to read earlier this year about the employment tribunal case of trainee Katie Tantum suing her former employer, Travers Smith, for unfair dismissal and pregnancy discrimination. She claims she was not kept on after her training contract because she became pregnant in her final seat. I was surprised not by her allegations, but by the fact that: (1) she actually brought a claim; and (2) it got all the way to a hearing. Cases of pregnancy and maternity discrimination rarely reach the public domain. In fact, according to research carried out by the Equal Opportunities Commission in 2005, only 3% of women suffering this type of discrimination complained to an employment tribunal. Most of these cases will settle pre-hearing.
5 minute read

Legal Week

A conscious bias – why a little positive discrimination is no bad thing

A reader questioned last month why we had chosen to highlight the fact that all of newly merged Dentons' recent EMEA partner promotions were female. Why was their gender relevant to their promotion, they asked – would we have raised the issue if all four of the new partners were male? And of course, he (or she) has a point. With so few women making partner – despite more of them than men joining the profession at entry level and various initiatives by firms to boost female retention – there is inevitably a bias towards reporting the few that do make the grade.
9 minute read

International Edition

Sexism and the City - why female lawyers are afraid to speak out against discrimination

In her new book of feminist advice for women in the workplace, Sheryl Sandberg, the chief operating officer of Facebook and the first woman on the social networking giant's board, acknowledges what many are afraid to admit publicly: "Women face real obstacles in the professional world, including blatant and subtle sexism, discrimination and sexual harassment." Readers of Lean In: Women, Work and the Will to Lead will know that Sandberg, a 43-year-old American mother of two, has fought for and won priority parking for pregnant women and picked lice out of her children's hair on a company jet.
14 minute read

International Edition

The mother of invention – a new venture helping lawyer parents return to work

When National Grid's former general counsel Helen Mahy announced last year that she was leaving the FTSE 100 company to pursue interests outside of law, there were several avenues one might assume she would take. Fiction writing was perhaps the most obvious – Mahy had already published books about her pet spaniel in The Adventures of Basil the Spaniel, raising funds for the Special Olympics Great Britain, which provides sporting opportunities for young adults and children with learning disabilities.
8 minute read

International Edition

Firms team up for new effort to tackle lack of diversity on career track

Herbert Smith Freehills (HSF), Hogan Lovells and Eversheds are among a line-up of eight City firms spearheading a new initiative to promote diversity and multiculturalism for all legal sector employees. NOTICED, which will be launched at the Law Society this Wednesday (20 March), will feature a series of events at which legal professionals from all backgrounds can network, debate diversity issues and share good practice, in an effort to make the legal industry more accessible and boost cultural awareness.
3 minute read

International Edition

Chasing the Olympic dream - Bobsleighing paralegal Lucy Onyeforo targets Winter Games glory

A paralegal by trade, I am standing at the top of a mountain in Sochi on the Russian Black Sea coast, 846m above sea level. I'm about to push a 190kg bobsleigh as fast as I can for 35m before jumping in. The sleigh will reach speeds of up to 90 miles per hour while travelling along a 1,500m course, which includes 17 nerve-wracking bends. And I won't be in control of it – someone else is driving. I don't like rollercoasters and I'm not an adrenaline junkie. At 29, the first time I got in a bobsleigh was a month ago. Now I'm about to tackle the most challenging course ever designed. The question strikes me: why am I doing this?
8 minute read

International Edition

Access to the Bar

Recent measures to drive the public towards approaching barristers directly have met with a mixed reaction, both among potential law firm rivals and at the Bar. Helen Mooney reports
1 minute read

International Edition

Single white female – despite the diversity talk, the Bar is still a man's world

In such established old boys' networks as the Bar and the judiciary, improving diversity – whether in terms of gender, race or class – was always going to be a challenge. Even so, the annual silk round and the Supreme Court judge appointments this week confirm just how much progress is still needed. At the Supreme Court, the promotion of three more white males to the bench means Lady Hale looks set to be the only female representative on the UK's highest court for another five years to come.
3 minute read

International Edition

Fee pressure deters rising stars at Bar as silk applications dip

Barristers are being put off from applying for QC status because they fear losing out on work amid acute pressure on fees, according to senior figures at the Bar. The news comes as it was announced this week that 84 out of 183 applicants were awarded QC status this year – the lowest number on both counts since the selection procedure was revamped in 2006.
4 minute read

Legal Week

Single white female – despite the diversity talk, the Bar is still a man's world

In such established old boys' networks as the Bar and the judiciary, improving diversity – whether in terms of gender, race or class – was always going to be a challenge. Even so, the annual silk round and the Supreme Court judge appointments this week confirm just how much progress is still needed. At the Supreme Court, the promotion of three more white males to the bench means Lady Hale looks set to be the only female representative on the UK's highest court for another five years to come.
6 minute read

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