Law Society pushes for more Gender Equality Charter sign-ups

Lawyer body targets signing up 30% of the profession by April

Law Society pushes for more Gender Equality Charter sign-ups

The New Zealand Law Society wants at least 30% of the legal profession to sign up to the Gender Equality Charter by April.

The target month marks the first year since the charter was launched. In November, it was revealed that 100 legal workplaces already signed up to the charter.

The Law Society said that there are now 109 legal workplaces, covering more than 2,900 lawyers, that have signed up to the charter.

“One hundred and nine signatories is a strong result to start the year with, but we really want to see the numbers grow significantly. It’s about creating a transparent culture in your workplace, where all lawyers, regardless of gender feel valued and are provided with equal opportunity to grow professionally,” said Kathryn Beck, Law Society president.

Chris Moore, chair of the Law Society’s Women’s Advisory Panel, said that the momentum must be maintained.

“We need the charter to cover as much of the profession as possible to bring about real and sustainable change and therefore achieving true gender equality in the legal community,” he said.