Girlie does it for equality
Stand up Girlie!
This column got its name from a Family Court Registrar who, back in 1980s, roared at Renata Alexander, then a Legal Aid Lawyer, ‘Sit Down Girlie!’ So, how much has changed since then? Well, the Law Council of Australia has long been concerned about the high attrition rate of women lawyers and has updated its 2013 National Report on attrition and re-engagement. In South Australia, a new program has been introduced to encourage women to become barristers. The South Australian Chief Justice has acknowledged the imbalance with only 16 per cent even considering the Bar as a career move and he supports the initiative. Sashi Maharaj, currently Chair of the SA Women at the Bar Committee, will help run the new program. There is recognition that unequal representation of women at the Bar means unequal representation in judicial appointments. (ABC, PM (online), 15 April 2015.)