Australian Women Lawyers National Conference

The 7th Annual Australian Women Lawyers Conference will be held between 24-26 August 2018 in Sydney. The 2018 Annual Conference will be the highlight conference for female practitioners, leaders and senior professionals across the Australian legal sector.

The theme for the AWL National Conference is 'Investing in the Future'. This theme will capture current issues of innovation and technology in the law, and its use as a tool for the furthering of diversity, leadership, best practice, flexible work options, access to justice and policy and law reform. 

A program outline can be found here. The program includes Unconscious Bias Training and sessions on Wellness, Working Sustainably, Improving your Social Media Brand. New Law, Innovation & Technology, Family Law Wrap Up, and a mentoring session from International In-house Women Leaders will also be covered in this jam packed program.

The conference also has a full social program including the Gala Dinner on the Saturday night.

Early bird registrations are open until 15 June 2018 but spaces are limited so be sure to get in quick! There are student and corporate rates available as well. You can register here. 

We look forward to seeing you there!

International Women's Day Panel - #MeToo

WLA ACT is holding a panel discussion on the #MeToo Movement on 14 March 2018 at Clayton Utz. Prue Bindon of Key Chambers, Jennifer Wyborn of Clayton Utz and Simone Ey from Citron Consulting will analyse the legal framework around sexual harassment and interrogate what employers and employees in the legal industry should be doing in the wake of this pervasive hashtag. 

Tickets are now on sale here.

This event has been made possible by the generosity of Clayton Utz. 

Mentor Breakfast with The Hon. Associate Justice McWilliam

On Tuesday 13 February WLA ACT hosted its first event of 2018, a Mentor Breakfast with guest speaker the Honourable Associate Justice Verity McWilliam at Hotel Hotel in New Acton.

Associate Justice McWilliam was sworn in as the Associate Judge of the Supreme Court of the ACT in June 2017. Prior to her appointment, Associate Justice McWilliam was a solicitor at PwC and the Crown Solicitor’s Office of NSW before being called to the NSW bar and practising in the areas of commercial/equity, criminal, employment, environment/planning, public and torts law.

Around 60 attendees heard the Associate Justice speak about everything from her personal quest for the perfect mentor (there isn't one perfect mentor, but rather many less than perfect ones) to work life balance. Her Honour emphasised the importance of a five year plan, saying no to unnecessary work dinners, and reflected on the challenges of being a woman at the Bar. The Associate Justice also mentioned that one of her first steps upon moving to the ACT was to join the Women Lawyers Association of the ACT.

Women Lawyers Association of the ACT would like to extend its thanks to Hotel Hotel for their assistance in organising and running the event, and to Associate Justice McWilliam taking the time out of her busy schedule to speak to our members and for her warm, frank and engaging speech. 

Be sure to check out the photos on our Facebook page from the event. 

Mentor registrations open for ANU and UC mentoring programs

WLA ACT is proud to support ANU's Women In Law Mentoring Program (WILO) and the University of Canberra's Women Lawyers' Mentor Program (WLMP) again in Semester 1, 2018.

You can now register to become a mentor:

Complete this short form to register to become a mentor to a UC student.

Complete this short form to register to become a mentor to an ANU student. 

Mentor registrations will close 23 February 2018, and matches will be advised on 27 February 2018. 

This program pairs women law students with professional women in the legal sector, as a means to empower and develop women studying law.

The Program is run each semester by the ANU Women In Law Organisation and UC Women Lawyers' Mentor Program.

Please see the WILO website for more information about the ANU program and a useful mentoring manual.

WLMP has also produced a useful mentoring handbook. 

Gratis Membership for Law Students

For the first time, in the 2017-18 membership year the Women Lawyers Association of the ACT will offer free membership to students who are enrolled in a course for a degree in law at a tertiary education institution in Australia

If you are a law student you can register online and become a member today, at no cost. 

This demonstrate's WLA ACT's commitment to the Canberra legal community and the next generation of women lawyers. 

We look forward to working with law students in the future.

Go into the draw to win a $200 Aubergine restaurant voucher

The ACT Lawyers Pay and Conditions Survey closes on 9 February 2018. Complete the survey to be in the running to win a $200 Aubergine restaurant voucher. 

WLA ACT, in partnership with the ACT Young Lawyers Committee, conducts the Lawyers Pay and Conditions Survey. The 2017/18 Survey is open to lawyers of all genders, and not just early career lawyers. 

The ACT is a small jurisdiction and information about pay and conditions is often unavailable in the public sphere, making it difficult for lawyers to find an independent benchmark from which to negotiate their entitlements.

The more lawyers that fill out the survey, the more accurate a picture we will gain about employment in the ACT legal sector. So make sure you have filled out the survey and that you have circulated this email to your firm or department, and your legal eagle friends. 

The 2017/18 Survey has been made possible by the generous assistance of our corporate sponsors. 

Mentor Breakfast with The Hon. Associate Justice McWilliam sold out

Ont Tuesday 13 February WLA ACT will host its first event of 2018, a Mentor Breakfast with guest speaker the Honourable Associate Justice Verity McWilliam.

Associate Justice McWilliam was sworn in as the Associate Judge of the Supreme Court of the ACT in June 2017. Prior to her appointment, Associate Justice McWilliam was a solicitor at PwC and the Crown Solicitor’s Office of NSW before being called to the NSW bar and practising in the areas of commercial/equity, criminal, employment, environment/planning, public and torts law.

Associate Justice McWilliam will share her insights on her fascinating career at our first mentor breakfast of the year.

This has been a popular event and tickets sold out quickly. Should you wish to be placed on a waiting list, please email contact@wlaact.org.au. 

WLA ACT 2017/18 Pay & Conditions Survey NOW OPEN

The Women Lawyers Association ACT's 2017 Pay & Conditions Survey is now open! 

The Women Lawyers Association (WLA) ACT and the ACT Young Lawyers are seeking the views of ACT-based lawyers of all genders and career levels.
 
The ACT is a small jurisdiction and information about employment, pay and conditions is often unavailable in the public sphere, making it difficult for lawyers to find an independent benchmark from which to negotiate their entitlements.
The purpose of this survey is to collect data about the characteristics of individual lawyers working in the ACT, and the nature of their employment, pay and conditions. The WLA ACT and the ACT Young Lawyers Committee will collate and publish the findings of the survey with the aim of providing ACT lawyers with an insight into their professional community.
 
The survey will take 10-15 minutes to complete online.
 
The WLA ACT and ACT Young Lawyers Committee are committed to protecting your privacy. This survey is anonymous, therefore the information we collect will not tell us anything about you specifically (such as your personal details). The WLA ACT and ACT Young Lawyers Committee may use the data collected through this survey for the purposes of releasing a Pay and Conditions Report and other materials pertaining to the findings of the survey. A copy of the 2016 Report can be found HERE.

The expansion of the survey to all lawyers in the ACT has been made possible thanks to our generous sponsors.