DAVE’S TECH TIPS

dave’s techtips

Women in Law Firms

in 2017, McKinsey & Company, management consultants, produced a paper entitled “Women in Law Firms.” (mck.co/3bwBeC0) To say that it is nutrient rich in regards to the present role of women in law firms and the factors that play into their advancement is an understatement.

This is a solid piece of work and represents the situation in both Canada and the USA as the three authors, Marc Brodherson (New York), Laura McGee (Toronto), and Mariana Pires dos Reis (Silicon Valley) represent diverse locations.

Some of their conclusions:

[F]emale lawyers (and many of their male colleagues) fear that participating in flexiblework programs will damage their careers.

Women of colour account for only 10% of senior associates, 3% of equity partners, and 4% of managing partners. For every 100 women promoted to partner, 141 men are promoted.

While all law firms call gender diversity a very important or a top priority, only 36% of women believe that gender diversity is a priority for their firm, compared with 62% of men.

The difficulty of balancing work and family is the number-one reason that women do not want to make partner (61% of women), followed by inadequate benefits for the personal costs (54%).

Women are considerably less likely than men to think that promotions and assignments at their firm are based on fair and objective criteria.

More than half of women (58%) and almost half of men (48%) credit their supervising attorney or partner with advising them on advancing their careers.

Only 5% of women and 9% of men see leaders regularly held accountable for progress on equality.

Until firms find ways to make diversity a firmwide issue, not a “women’s issue” — and an issue that galvanizes the partnership and demands accountability for progress — they will likely struggle to translate programs and policies into results.

In an article in Forbes entitled, “The Ultimate Paradox: Law Firms’ Persistent Gender (Im) Balances,” (bit.ly/bt1020-pt5) Christina Blacklaws, President of the Law Society of England and Wales, is quoted on the lack of progress on gender equality in law firms, saying: “The bottom line is the situation isn’t likely to change until the governance model changes and moves toward a more corporate model.”

While law firms should embrace gender equality as the “right thing to do,” a bit of economic persuasion works as well. In January 2019, around 170 General Counsels (“GCs”) and Chief Legal Officers, based largely in the US, published a letter calling for law firms to focus on diversity, or risk losing their companies’ legal spend; a further letter was signed by 65 GCs of major companies in the UK and Europe in March. (tmsnrt.rs/3lTiHVb)

© 2020 David J. Bilinsky

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5. Drop the mic. At your next meeting, firm presentation, shareholder or partner meeting ensure that women get to present or speak publicly and without interruption.

Hopefully over the next 27 years we can make the legal profession much more representative in terms of gender equality and stop the flow of women lawyers jumping the fence and waiving a legal career a big goodbye.

BRITISH COLUMBIA CAREER OPPORTUNITIES

In-House Lawyer – Technology | 3-6 Years | Vancouver Our client is a long established Vancouver-based technology company in the fintech space, with operations right across North America, now looking for a new in-house lawyer. You will be the sole lawyer at the business, reporting directly to the CEO and providing a wide range of legal advice to the company. Most important is an understanding of the tech space and the regulatory environment that surrounds it. In this role you’ll enjoy a highly supportive culture, an interesting and varied workload, and true work-life balance. It will likely suit a lawyer with around 3 to 6 years of experience, but the year of call is less important than finding the right fit. For more information contact Amrit Rai or Mike Race at 604-681-0706 or LegalBC@zsa.ca quoting reference #BT30055.

ICBC Lawyer | 2-10 Years | Vancouver We are working with a leading insurance firm that is looking to hire a litigation lawyer to join their busy team. The ideal candidate will have between 2-10 years’ experience in personal injury and insurance defence matters, and be an entrepreneurial individual who is keen to build upon the solid foundation provided by the firm and benefit from their competitive salary structure. There is also the opportunity to diversify your practice in time. For more information or to apply, please contact Mike Race or Amrit Rai at LegalBC@zsa.ca quoting reference #BT28968.

Sr Associate / Jr Partner - Securities | 5-10 Years | Vancouver We’re working with one of the top Vancouver-based regional law firms, with an exceptionally busy securities practice, now looking for an experienced lawyer in that space. It’s a terrific opportunity for a business-minded senior associate or junior partner level to work with a range of interesting clients and continue to build their practice and career within a highly supportive environment and strong collegial culture at the firm. To learn more contact Mike Race or Amrit Rai at LegalBC@zsa.ca. Ref. #BT30068.

Civil Litigation Lawyer | 4-8 Years | Vancouver Our client is a reputable boutique downtown Vancouver litigation firm with a practice that covers a broad range of disputes. If you have broad civil litigation experience, trained at a well-regarded firm, and are a self-starter with superb technical litigation skills, this could be for you. You will have the opportunity to work with impressive & sophisticated clients on a wide range of general litigation matters including commercial litigation, breach of contract cases, estate litigation, and insurance. You’ll be working autonomously, without hard billing targets, in a truly collegial and supportive working environment. For more information please contact Mike Race or Amrit Rai at LegalBC@zsa.ca. Ref. #BT29825.

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