We have much to celebrate since the first female Scottish solicitor was permitted to practice a century ago.
Madge Easton Anderson, a Glasgow University graduate, was the first women to qualify as a solicitor in all of the UK. She was one of the pioneers to open the door for thousands of women to follow. So much so that just over half of Scotland’s solicitor profession, at 52 percent, is now female.
Role models are profoundly powerful in helping instigate change and we have many inspirational women within the legal profession – from Scotland’s female Solicitor General and Lord Justice Clerk, to the increasing number of women appointed as partners within our law firms or as sheriffs and judges in Scotland and the UK, not to mention our First Minister who is a qualified Scottish solicitor.
The Law Society of Scotland is viewed as a leader for its equality work by legal organisations around the world.
However, while there has been real progress, with a significant reduction in the gender pay gap in recent years and a jump in the number of female partners from 25 to 30 percent in the past 12 months, we know there is still much more to do.
Ensuring we have equality in the workplace is not just the right thing to do; it makes good business sense too, with studies showing that companies with gender diverse boards generally perform better than those without female representation.
We believe our ongoing equality and diversity work and continued discussions to promote cultural change, will bring a tangible difference for all in the legal profession. We will keep striving to ensure we have a modern, diverse and inclusive legal profession which allows men and women from all backgrounds to have equal opportunity to succeed in their careers.
Find a Scottish solicitor at www.findasolicitor.scot
This article appeared in the June edition of Business HQ 2019.
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