While the number of women admitted to law is increasing five times faster than the rate for men (according to The Law Society), it is still a male dominated field. Here, four women with significant experience in law give their take on the gender issue.

Cherie Booth QC is one of the UK's leading human rights barristers and has carved out a successful career in law appearing in the European Court of Justice, in Commonwealth countries and as an international arbitrator.

While she can remember a time when many chambers refused to acknowledge women, Cherie says there is still some way to go to ensure equality for both sexes:

'It's a simple fact that women are forced to make choices and there shouldn't have to be a rigid distinction between a career and family life.

'The two can be compatible if employers adopt a more progressive culture, facilitating flexible working for both men and women. It should be possible to establish a work-life balance without having a huge guilt complex or running yourself into the ground. Having it all might not be feasible, but women can now have a fairly substantial piece of the pie.'




Tricia Chatterton, regional director of The College of Law, is an ex-lawyer who still works in the field, but whose attention is now focused on training future law professionals. She comments: 'We are certainly seeing more and more females coming into law, with women now accounting for 44 per cent of solicitors. The lack of parity tends to occur higher up the chain, with far fewer female QCs and managing partners in firms, in relation to men.

'Salaries are still an issue, with more women graduating with better marks but earning around 15 per cent less than their male counterparts in jobs, which is not a statistic that sits particularly comfortably with me.'

The college of law's intake reflects the national gender split in the sector, with 62 per cent being female. Although the proportion of female associates promoted to partner level at the top 30 UK law firms has risen from 25 to 27 per cent in 2008, this is still a reminder of the lack of female representation at a senior level.




Nancy Brown is head of real estate at Eversheds in Manchester. She reflects on positive change in the legal profession over the last few decades and reinforces the need for more flexible working: 'The profession has come a long way since I began studying 25 years ago, though there is still more to be achieved. I am a full time working mum and it's fair to say Eversheds is ahead of the game, with females making up nearly a quarter of its partnership. We have the most women in senior legal positions out of the top ten law firms in the UK.

'There is still more to be done in terms of promoting and retaining women by using flexible working and investing in technology to aid remote working. With the next generation now coming up through the ranks, women are more determined than ever to gain control of work life balance. It's a cultural shift that every level needs to buy in to.'




Spinning plates is something Kate Baldwin is all too familiar with. As a former employment lawyer for Cobbetts LLP, Kate set up wealth management company Xentum in 2004 with her partner, is a part time lecturer for The College of Law and is expecting her second child this November.

Commenting on managing a career and home life, Kate said: 'Setting up my own business was a solution to successfully achieving a work-life balance, though it is not without its challenges! I have more freedom in my own business and adopt flexible working hours to get the most from employees. We have introduced summer working hours as one solution.

'There is still more to be done to empower men to work more flexibly given that the percentage of 'stay at home dads' is on the increase and bringing up children is no longer a solely female responsibility.'





While all four women agree that a good foundation has been established to promote equality in law, there should be a continued commitment to striving for improvement. Whether it's a glass ceiling or a sticky floor, promoting the female cause is not something that should be done in isolation. Greater flexibility should apply to both genders, otherwise one sex is always in a position of compromise.

info@cherieblairoffice.org
nancybrown@eversheds.com
kate.baldwin@xentum.co.uk
tricia.chatterton@lawcol.co.uk