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Addressing the not-so-hidden crisis of women leaving law firms
Numerous women who have worked hard, invested years studying, and made considerable sacrifices are leaving the profession. Here, these two leaders from an award-winning boutique firm examine the underlying factors contributing to this trend.
Grace Robbie
Speaking on a recent episode of The Lawyers Weekly Show, director Aleisha MacKenzie and special counsel Crystal Ray of Construct Law Group – which won Boutique Diversity Firm of the Year at the recent Women in Law Awards – discussed the troubling trend of increasing women exiting the legal profession. They also explored the concerning reasons behind this phenomenon and addressed the implications of this growing issue.
Ray opened up about how this stark reality is evident within her own circle of friends with whom she completed her law degree, as among the five women, she stands out as the sole one pursuing a career in private practice.
“I actually just had dinner with my uni girlfriends on the weekend, and out of the five of us that went through uni together, I’m the only one still practising in private practice. Everyone has left the profession, some to retrain completely in health, some to focus on family businesses, all sorts of other careers,” Ray said.
She went on: “One of the things that really stood out during the dinner was the different experiences that we had all had in early practice as well as now.”
Ray revealed that a recurring theme discussed among her friends that contributed to their departure from the profession was that the firms they worked from were not conducive to maintaining a healthy work/life balance.
“They all had worked for firms that weren’t quite as understanding of the fact that people have lives outside of the nine-to-five, although at that stage, it was more like the seven-to-10 for a lot of them,” Ray said.
Observing her peers from university depart from the legal profession prompted Ray to recognise the pervasive issue of female retention within the legal field.
“That rate of attrition was just so shocking to me, even though I’d known about it. These are my best friends thinking about how that is probably across the board,” Ray said.
“I’m very lucky because I work for a firm that is so focused on making sure that people don’t leave the job. Aleisha’s put in place so many different policies and made sure that the firm operates in a way that actually implements those policies.”
Regarding whether the legal profession effectively addresses this prominent issue, MacKenzie acknowledged that some progress has occurred, especially with flexible working arrangements no longer being looked down upon.
“There’s definitely been progress, I think, especially since COVID. Flexible working is no longer a dirty word to say, but it is something that you can expect to receive, that you’re legally entitled to and is something that is supporting and retaining women in the legal profession,” MacKenzie said.
“I like to think that my staff feel supported and safe and they’re in an environment where they can actually grow as people and as professionals.”
However, MacKenzie quickly pointed out that still more needs to be done despite the improvements.
“But there are certainly stories out there where there are things that are still happening that just should not be happening for women in law,” she said.
She stressed that retaining these women should be a priority for law firms and the legal profession as a whole, as they contribute value to the industry.
“These are extremely intelligent women who have finished their law degrees, and they have so much to offer our clients and the profession. So retaining them is necessary not only for businesses but also for our clients because it’s going to give you the best results,” MacKenzie said.
“Having children, for example, should not be something that causes women to leave the law because they just have too much to offer. So ensuring that you accommodate, for example, working parents and ensuring that you have policies and procedures in place that there is no bias against people who work flexibly is really important.”
