Legal
The Australian Human Rights Commission is targeting the legal sector.
Dr Genevieve Burnett has a legal background and specialises in helping law firms comply with the Positive Duty and Respect@Work.
Need to understand the Positive Duty?
Overwhelmed by the amount of information available?
Download my white paper The Positive Duty: is your law firm compliant? to find out what you need to do.
AHRC is targeting the legal sector
On 18 September 2023, the Australian Financial Review (AFR) reported Dr Anna Cody, the Sex Discrimination Commissioner, saying that, when the power to enforce the Positive Duty came in on 12 December 2023, the Australian Human Rights Commission (the Commission) would target the legal sector, as well as the mining and retail sectors.
On 11 October 2023, the AFR quoted Dr Cody saying she would be tougher on the legal industry than other sectors. She went on to say that the Commission would target professionals with poor records of sex discrimination and sexual harassment, such as lawyers, would be first in its sights.
Why is the AHRC targeting the legal sector?
The data on firms
In 2022, according to the Law Society of NSW's Annual Profile of Solicitors in NSW:
- 54% of solicitors are women.
- 46% of solicitors are men.
- Only 30% of female solicitors working in private practice are principals compared with 53% of men.
- 58% of female solicitors earn less than $150,000 compared to 47% of male solicitors.
- 19% of female solicitors earn more than $200,00 compared to 28% of male solicitors.
This is a pattern that is reflected across Australia.
The data on barristers
The situation at the Bar is even worse than in firms.
According to the Law Council of Australia, during 2022-2023, women barristers received 31% and male barristers received 69% of the briefs. Of the $1.65 billion the Bar charged in fees, women barristers received 20% of fees and male barristers received 80%. This is a 6% decrease in the brief fees paid to women in 2021-2022.
Apparently, this is because both solicitors and clients tend to favour male barristers when it comes to higher paying briefs.
Sexual harassment is a problem in the legal profession
A global survey by the International Bar Association showed:
- 47% of Australian female respondents in Australian indicated they had been sexually harassed (compared with 37% globally).
- 13% of Australian male respondents indicated they had been sexually harassed (compared with 7% globally).
What are the benefits of complying with the Positive Duty and Respect@Work?
It isn’t just a social justice issue or the right thing to do.
Research shows that having diverse thinking and demographic differences in a workplace leads to:
Why should you retain Dr Genevieve Burnett to help your firm comply with the Positive Duty?
Like the Australian Human Rights Commission's Guidelines, I draw on a multi-disciplinary background, which means I have the perfect set of analytical tools that will help your firm implement them.
I am good at distilling complex concepts into clear and plain language.
I’ve worked in professional services for over 20 years either in law firms (as a fee earner) or as a consultant so I understand how this sector operates. As someone with a legal background, I understand how lawyers think and operate. Even more importantly, I understand the challenges they face. I also enjoy working with lawyers because they are both clever and thoughtful.
Finally, I’m keen to work with leaders in firms to help make firms safer, as well as more respectful and inclusive.
What services do you offer?
I offer a range of services to help your firm comply with the Positive Duty:
BOOK YOUR FREE PICK-MY-BRAIN CALL NOWDo you have over 200 employees?
Keen to know how compliant your law firm is with the Positive Duty?