Login
Diversity hot on LCA agenda
The Law Council of Australia has furthered its support of diversity and inclusion throughout the profession by unveiling three new support tools.
Emma Musgrave
The legal body has showcased its commitment to building a safer and fairer legal profession with the launch of three new resources, available on the LCA website, which aim to provide lawyers with information to help them understand current workplace demands and opportunities, as well as resources to support key issues within businesses.
To continue reading the rest of this article, please log in.
Create free account to get unlimited news articles and more!
According to a statement from the LCA, the three new webpages specifically highlight flexible workplaces in the legal profession; how to make your workplace LGBTI+ friendly; and bullying and harassment in the workplace.
Speaking about the development of the new pages, LCA president Fiona McLeod SC described the necessity for the body to take a national leadership stance on the issue of diversity, equity and inclusion within Australia's legal community.
“The strength of the legal profession depends upon nurturing a professional environment that fosters and rewards individual ability, application and integrity, shielded from the impact of discriminatory, extraneous and arbitrary practices. The overarching objective is to provide a productive, inclusive and sustainable legal profession that is well placed to serve the needs of the community,” Ms McLeod said.
“Ultimately, it is in the best interests of employers to ensure that they provide workplaces where employees are free from harassment and discrimination based on attributes including gender, sexual orientation and family responsibilities.
“We have been collating a wide range of information, policies, procedures, tips and links."
Ms McLeod noted that the resources will grow over time as new initiatives and policies are developed, "as we continue to develop a culture of inclusiveness across the legal profession".
“We encourage all lawyers to use the resources and provide feedback to the Law Council," she added.
“The Law Council has worked proactively and closely with law firms, state and territory law societies and bars, to examine the issue of attrition and retention of women lawyers. It is exciting to today deliver the final three components of those priority actions identified by our research."
