Overview

The Bar Association began addressing the problems faced by female barristers in 1995 when it established a Gender Issues Committee. The Gender Issues Committee was later renamed the Equal Opportunity Committee (EOC) which, under the chairmanship of Michael Slattery QC, put in place a number of programmes to help women establish successful practices at the Bar.

In June 2004 Bar Council formally adopted the Law Council's Model Equal Opportunity Briefing Policy for Female Barristers and Advocates, which draws upon a policy drafted by the Equal Opportunity Committee and approved by the Bar Association on 23 October 2003.

The object of such policies is to change the attitudes of solicitors and do away with the gender inequality in briefing practices. Without being given an opportunity in the early years to hone one's advocacy skills at the Bar table, it is impossible to reach the level of excellence that makes a barrister desirable for briefing in more complicated matters later on. Hopefully, this will encourage more women to become barristers or advocates, and will encourage them to stay on in the profession, having joined it.  

A model Sexual Harassment Policy, for adoption by individual chambers, was endorsed by Bar Council in 2004 and has been implemented by a number of chambers, including:

>> Arthur Phillip

>> Seven Wentworth

>> Sixth Floor St James Hall

>> Martin Place

>> Tenth Floor St James Hall

>> William Dean

>> 9th Floor Windeyer

>> Ada Evans

>> Eighth Floor Garfield Barwick

>> 13 St James Hall

>> Maurice Byers

>> 7th Floor Garfield Barwick

>> 13 Wentworth/Selborne

>> 12 Selborne/Wentworth

>> 11 Wentworth

>> Blackstone

>> 3 St James Hall

>> Sixth Floor Selborne/Wentworth

>> Hargrave Chambers

>> Sir James Martin

>> McKinnon Chambers Newcastle

>> Henry Parks

>> 11th Floor St James Hall

>> Owen Dixon

>> 15th Floor Wardell Chambers

>> 10 Selborne/Wentworth Chambers

>> Frederick Jordan Chambers

An emergency child care scheme, reported in the Winter 2003 edition of Bar News , was piloted in 2003 with very positive results. The EOC is hoping to extend this into a permanent scheme in 2004.

In 2001 the Equal Opportunity Committee adopted a programme of visits by final-year female law students. These are conducted three times a year and all law schools, from the various metropolitan universities, including Wollongong, are invited to participate. The purpose of the programme is to familiarise female law students with the workings of the Bar and to encourage them to consider coming to the Bar. Since 2001 there has been a voluntary mentoring scheme in place for female barristers, to assist them in the development of their practices, particularly in their second and third years at the Bar.

The current EOC is committed to ensuring the continuation of the abovementioned schemes as well as developing other programmes to assist women at the Bar. The committee currently has in train the organisation of a number of programmes to be held in 2004. These include talks on 'how to set up a small business', 'how to finance your entry to the Bar and the early years in practice', and 'how to network'. The details of speakers and dates will be announced in the near future.

There is no doubt that women have made progress at the Bar, and much has been written about the progress of female lawyers over those years. The fact remains, however, that the progress has been slow and in 2004, women barristers represent less than 14 per cent of approximately 2000 barristers. However the EOC hopes that the progress of women at the Bar will be accelerated through the introduction of the policies and programmes included on this web site so that, in the not too distant future, the make up of the Bar and the judiciary has gender balance more closely reflecting the 50 per cent or more of law graduates who are women.

Mentoring scheme for female barristers

The Equal Opportunity Committee manages a voluntary mentoring scheme for female barristers, to assist the development of their practices, particularly in their second and third years at the Bar. The scheme was piloted in 2001. Since that time barristers have been offered the opportunity to join the scheme twice a year- each March and September. These dates are chosen to coincide with the conclusion of the barrister's first year of practice.

Indigenous Barristers Strategy Working Party (IBSWP)

The working party is a special committee set up to implement the Indigenous Lawyer’s Strategy at the New South Wales Bar. The membership is comprised of barristers and representatives of the law schools of the University of New South Wales and the University of Technology, Sydney.

A special trust fund, The Indigenous Barristers’ Trust – the MumShirl Fund, was established in 2002 to create a pool of funds to provide financial assistance to Indigenous barristers, especially in their first few years of practice and to Indigenous law students. The fund has deductible gift recipient status as a public benevolent institution under the Income Tax Assessment Act 1936 (Cth).

• Report of the IBSWP, 2005 New South Wales Bar Association Annual Report
• Download a video of speeches from the IBSWP fundraiser at the Sky Phoenix restaurant on Wednesday, 13 April 2005.

Assistance to people with disabilities

In recent years the Equal Opportunity Committee of the Bar Association and Counsels Chambers have made significant efforts to upgrade facilities for people with disabilities such as the following:

• The ramp outside Wentworth Chambers.
• The two parking spaces in Phillip Street reserved for the disabled.
• Counsels Chambers has recently purchased a hearing loop which provides a significant benefit for the
  hearing impaired, for use in their NDC rooms and the Board Room.
• The bathroom located on the ground floor of Wentworth Chambers near the lifts. [The entry code is available from the clerks or from the Bar Association.]

The improved facilities are available for both practitioners and clients.