New Zealand Law Society - Making it work: success stories

Making it work: success stories

Elite Women 2021 | NZ Lawyer

A report highlighting award-winning women lawyers who have implemented initiatives to improve gender equality in their workplaces and communities, while achieving significant success in their own careers.

Case studies on gender diversity in private sector organisations

The Ministry for Women features a number of stories from leading organisations (including several with in-house legal teams) outlining the initiatives they are undertaking to improve gender equality.

A young lawyer balancing the law and parenthood
March 2018 — By Angharad O’Flynn

After graduating in 2015, Waiata Bell is now a solicitor in Simpson Grierson’s Local Government and Environment team in their Auckland office. Between completing her LLB and her admission as a barrister and solicitor in November 2017, she became a mother.

Pathways in the Law: Claro the health law firm
September 2017 — By Nick Butcher

Flexibility is a key component of the success story at Claro with many of the legal team members juggling busy work commitments with young families.

“As flexible employers, we are equally lucky that we have flexible employees. Some of our team will work a minimum number of hours. Some will start at half past seven and they’ll finish work by mid-afternoon so they can pick the kids up from school. We’re quite relaxed with that because the work gets done,” Ms Miller says.

Flexibility in the workforce
June 2017 — By Kate Geenty

Flexible working may not currently be the norm for lawyers, but it is the way of the future, says Sarah Taylor, the author of a new report called Valuing Our Lawyers: The untapped potential of flexible working in the New Zealand legal profession.

Working towards gender diversity in New Zealand’s law firms: Four practical approaches to achieving change
September 2016, New Zealand Law Society and NZLS CLE Ltd

In 2016 the Law Society’s legal education provider NZLS CLE Ltd ran a day-long conference in Auckland and Wellington, to focus on strategies for moving towards greater gender diversity in the legal profession.

The Law Society and NZLS CLE Ltd have published a booklet with four of the papers presented, with the objective of making these freely available. We are sure that the ideas and experiences outlined in these papers will be a valuable and practical resource.

The Wellington conference was live streamed and NZLS CLE Ltd has made videos of all sessions held in Wellington available.

Download the report Working Towards Gender Diversity in NZ Law Firms: Four practical approaches to achieving change.

Watch the video of the NZLS CLE Wellington conference.


Success stories from those who have signed up to the Gender Equality Charter:

If you have an example of practical approach to improving gender equality and inclusion in the legal profession that you would like to share please email: womeninlaw@lawsociety.org.nz

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