In the last 12 months, women have continued to shape the legal profession for the better. In this wrap-up, Lawyers Weekly takes a look back at the top 10 most-read articles about and for women.
Women have featured in some of Lawyers Weekly’s top articles read in 2025, from celebrating their achievements, addressing the diversity and equality gaps in the legal profession, and revolutionising the law.
Below, we take a look back at the top 10:
1. What led this tennis prodigy to pursue a legal career
From competing in the Australian Open to winning gold at the Commonwealth Youth Games, Jade Hopper opens up about what inspired her to trade in her tennis racket for a career in law.
2. Winners unveiled for Women in Law Awards 2025
Lawyers Weekly, together with principal partner nrol and The Broker for Lawyers, are thrilled to announce the winners of the Women in Law Awards 2025.
3. Primary carer decision a game changer for employers and their lawyers
A court decision on paid parental leave has set the tone for disputes between new parents and their employers, a special counsel shared.
4. The unspoken privilege embedded in the legal profession
While the Australian legal profession is often regarded as a bastion of prestige, intellectual rigour, and tradition, beneath its polished veneer of tailored suits lies a largely invisible web of systemic advantages, leaving individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds struggling to keep pace.
5. Lawyers, sexual empowerment panel team up to embrace sex, intimacy and body confidence
The Connecting Lawyer Mums founder has teamed up with a psychologist, a sexual medical expert and a woman’s sensual empowerment advocate to empower lawyers to embrace intimacy, sexual empowerment and self-confidence.
6. Pushing back on the ‘unspoken rule’ about success in law
For two Western Australia-based professionals, a vocational epiphany comes to those who come to realise that being happy and fulfilled in one’s work as a lawyer isn’t an indulgence.
7. A Clifford Chance partner on how AI has transformed the legal workforce
At the inaugural Australian Law Forum, a BigLaw partner will discuss the disruptive force of automation in legal practice.
8. Beyond the grades: The surprising skills law firms value most in graduates
Law firms are no longer just chasing students with top marks, with a College of Law lecturer revealing the key skills and traits that make graduates stand out when hiring their next cohort of lawyers.
9. Flexibility doesn’t come free – lawyers must earn it
For decades, women in professional services like law have faced the so-called “motherhood penalty” – the invisible bias that having children slows career growth, invites scrutiny, or blocks opportunities. But while the landscape has shifted to lessen the extent of such a penalty, two award-winning lawyers note that accommodations for flexibility must still be earned.
10. The real reasons female lawyers want to leave the profession
Despite meaningful progress towards gender equality in the legal profession, countless female lawyers still encounter barriers that are pushing them to switch firms or walk away from the profession entirely. But what are they?
Naomi Neilson is a senior journalist with a focus on court reporting for Lawyers Weekly.
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