News feature

Legal profession launches ‘Women in Law pledge’

In June, CILEx, the Law Society and the Bar Council launched a joint initiative to tackle the issue of gender equality within the legal profession.

​​On 20 June, CILEx, the Law Society, the Bar Council and other legal organisations joined together to launch a Women in Law pledge at the Law Society’s international symposium on gender equality.

Law firms, local law societies, barristers’ chambers and organisations outside the legal sector signed their name to the pledge, which was supported by the then lord chancellor and justice secretary David Gauke and aims to build a more equal profession for all.

Organisations that sign the pledge commit:

• to support the progression of women into senior roles in the profession by focusing on retention and promotion opportunities;
• to set clear plans and targets around gender equality and diversity for their organisation; and
• to publish their action plan and publicly report on their progress towards achieving their goals. All legal service providers are being urged to sign up to the pledge.

The then CILEx President Phillip Sherwood said: ‘Whilst record numbers of women are entering the legal profession there are still too few making it into senior positions. Seventy-five percent of CILEx members are women and representing their interests and removing barriers to progression is one of our key aims.

‘We would like to encourage legal organisations to play their part in improving the diversity of our profession at all levels by signing the women in law pledge and committing to make the changes needed to support and promote gender equality.’