Diversity & Inclusion
Helen Broadbridge
generation) and, secondly, that it will normalise taking time off work – be it parental leave, annual leave or the weekend. Action: Gender-neutralise policies around parenting. Alongside normalising taking parental leave or working part-time for a period, for example, organisations should also widen their leadership identification window to include workers who may be reaccelerating their careers after the most intense period of caregiving responsibility has passed. After all, raising the next generation is a collective project that all of society has a stake in – that includes organisations and, of course, both parents. Part of that responsibility has to be providing jobs that are compatible with caregiving; the economy is better off if it is possible to earn (and thus pay tax) and care at the same time. Concluding remarks Gender imbalance is not inevitable, but it is sticky and current infrastructure is seen to favour men without caregiving responsibilities across the economy. Organisations need to make gender balance stickier than imbalance. They can achieve this by collecting data to find out if systems are having unintended consequences, experimenting with new processes, keeping what works, ditching what does not and reiteration. Ensuring that policies designed to help parents are applied equally to mothers and fathers is a key step to reframing the conversation around parenting and the workplace. In the future, we can hope that parental leave will be seen as a temporary step in a long career path. ■
Member of the Westminster & Holborn Law Society EDI Committee and Tax Solicitor
1. Chamorro-Premuzic, Tomas (2019), Why do so many incompetent men become leaders? (And how to fix it), Harvard Business Review Press. 2. Chamorro-Premuzic (2021), If women are better leaders, then why are they not in charge?, Forbes. 3. Connelly, Thomas (2016), Ten years to the top: average time to partnership revealed, Legal Cheek. “The research revealed that 80% of those handed fresh promotions had between nine and 13 years’ post-qualification experience.”
Milestone for London Legal Support Trust
T
he small team at London Legal Support Trust (LLST) are working hard on an exciting calendar of events for 2021 to bring together the legal community, raise awareness, and most importantly, raise vital funds for frontline free legal advice agencies.
The London Legal Walk, taking place on Monday 18 October and now in its 17th year, has reached a milestone of 180 teams (and counting). The support and enthusiasm is clear to see with the legal community looking forward to walking shoulder to shoulder with colleagues, peers and friends to support access to justice. Celebrating women in the legal profession Although 2020’s virtual event was a great success given the circumstances, LLST is keen to build on the momentum of the 2019 event, which was especially poignant as it celebrated 100 years of women qualifying in the legal profession. With Baroness Hale and Baroness Kennedy QC amongst the senior legal figures participating in the walk, the support for LLST from female lawyers is strong, and the charity is keen to continue celebrating this.
The charity is delighted that for 2021, among the lead walkers will be The Law Society’s president, Stephanie Boyce. In excellent company, previous years’ lead walkers have included Baroness Scotland QC, Baroness Chakrabarti and former CILEx President Millicent Grant QC (Hon), as well as dozens of senior women judges and MPs. LLST is enormously grateful to all the sponsors and supporters of the London Legal Walk, without whom the event would not be able to take place. Why We Walk The mission of the walk is to raise funds for frontline free legal advice agencies that serve people with a range of problems, many of which could be eliminated with the right legal advice. Sadly, advice is not easily available to those with minimal to no income, and the agencies they turn to heavily rely on additional funding from charities such as LLST. What can you do to help? Sign up to LLST’s events at www. londonlegalsupporttrust.org.uk/ our-events/ and you will be supporting access to justice, raising vital funds and sharing your experience with a wonderful community of supporters. ■ LegalWomen | 11
