While International Women’s Day was an opportunity to reflect on the progress made so far to advance female representation in the legal industry, true gender equality is still far from being attained, according to women leaders from across the profession.
Writing on behalf of the Law Society of England and Wales, the society’s vice president and Obelisk Support founder Dana Denis-Smith OBE, who was honoured in 2024 for her work in supporting gender equality through her First 100 Years campaign, said the day was “a great opportunity to reflect, like every year, on how far we’ve come and the work that still needs to be done to achieve gender parity at all levels in the legal profession”.
She said: “Women continue to face barriers such as unequal pay, gender bias, opaque promotion paths and the prospect of having to choose between acceptable work/life balance and career progression.
“This is alongside inconsistent support around maternity leave, returning to work after career breaks, flexible working and shared parental leave,” noting the society’s work to tackle this through its recently published Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy, and Women in Law Pledge, launched by former president Christina Blacklaws.
“Flexible and hybrid working remain the most popular requests from our members seeking career progression, while gender pay gaps persist,” Denis-Smith said.
She added: “The Law Society is committed to building a more inclusive profession, because when we do, everyone benefits and our work is focused on turning ambition into action. We should all take action to make the change we want to see in our profession.”
Other legal leaders expressed similar views. In an article for Global Legal Post, Hogan Lovells pro bono lead Yasmin Waljee said: “Women’s rights have to be fought for every day of every decade, and this is a sobering reminder that we can’t afford to take International Women’s Day for granted.”
Writing on LinkedIn, Bar Council chair Kirsty Brimelow KC, who has made gender equality in earnings a part of her 12 priorities for office, noted that all the current Bar Council leaders were now women, as was the chair of the Criminal Bar Association, and the majority of Circuit leaders.
Brimelow, who succeeded Barbara Mills KC, the first woman of colour to hold that role, noted: “In the 2024/25 pupillage round, women represented 57.6% of all applicants. A great deal of progress has been made – but there is still a way to go, particularly when it comes to earnings and retention.”
Brimelow shared a briefing prepared by the Bar Council, outlining the changes they hoped to see for women at the Bar over the next decade and what they would do differently if they were starting their careers today.
Others took a more personal look. Simmons & Simmons global managing partner, Emily Monastiriotis, wrote about her two daughters: “What strikes me most about their generation is their openness and acceptance. For them, discrimination and injustice simply aren’t tolerated; they see people for who they are and embrace everyone as equals, calling out behaviour that diminishes this view. This gives me immense hope and confidence that the next generation will make the world a kinder, more inclusive place.”
The Global Legal Post is the organiser of the 2026 Women and Diversity in Law Awards, which will honour 170 shortlisted outstanding women leaders and practitioners, as well as legal teams and businesses. They will take place on 28 April at the London Marriott Hotel, Grosvenor Square. Click here to read the shortlist and here to book a table.
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