Women barristers continue to face challenges

The Bar Council in England has published a guide for chambers in a bid to stamp out “residual sexual harassment” in the profession. The guide forms part of the Council’s research into unacceptable behaviour experienced by some barristers. Focusing on self-employed barristers, the Council found that at the training stage, women of all ages were positive about their experience and, although there were some incidents of inappropriate behaviour, many challenges faced by trainees were not gender-specific.
In junior practice though, the bar Council found that a “significant” number of women felt pushed into areas such as family and sex crime, which resulted in a high rate of stress among juniors. The report also found that balancing a career at the Bar with bringing up children was problematic and some respondents said it was difficult to see how that balance could be achieved.
On applying for Silk, some respondents felt that men in chambers were given greater support than women.
 
International firm announce promotions
Squire Patton Boggs has promoted 39 lawyers to its international partnership from 20 offices and across its key practices. Three of the new partners are from Australia. In Sydney, Anna Elliot makes partner in the labor & employment practice; and Shaan Palmer becomes a restructuring & insolvency partner. In Perth, Fabio Fior is a new real estate partner.
 
New senior partner for Nabarro, expansion for Singapore office
International law firm Nabarro has elected real estate partner Ciaran Carvalho as its senior partner. He will succeed Graham Steadman on May 1, 2016, and beat two others, Jonathan Warne and Iain Newman, in the election.
The firm has also expanded its Singapore office with the hire of Matthew Nortcliff as partner in the funds and indirect real estate team where he will lead the Asian funds practice. He joins from Hogan Lovells in the city state where he has been since 2010, but this is a return to Nabarro where he trained and was a funds associate in the London office.
 
Hong Kong lawyer joins Clifford Chance’s partnership council
Neeraj Budhwani is one of two new appointments to the global partnership council of Clifford Chance. The Hong Kong-based corporate partner, along with London finance partner Jeremy Connick, joins the council which is headed by senior partner Malcolm Sweeting. Beijing corporate partner Tim Wang has also been re-elected for a second three-year term.