WLA ACT Committee
2023/24 Committee Members
Executive
President
Danielle Mildren
Vice President
Louise Parry
Secretary
Amanda Garside
Treasurer
Chiara Cirillo
Policy Subcommittee Co-Chair
Kirsty-Lee Coker
Steph Robbie
Communications Subcommittee Chair
Laura Dowling
Australian Women Lawyers Representative
Harriet Boothman
Membership Officer
Cindy Lim
Who are we?
The WLA ACT Committee currently comprises four executive and four general committee members. We also nominate the ACT representative to the Australian Women Lawyers.
The committee is responsible for managing the activities and initiatives of the WLA ACT and also oversees four subcommittees - policy, events, finance and marketing, and memberships.
What are the committee and subcommittees like?
Our committee and subcommittee members pride ourselves on being an inclusive and friendly network, qualities also reflected in our membership. We work in different areas of the law and come from different backgrounds. Some of us have a terrible weakness for puns.
All of us have a keen interest in promoting the interests of our members within our community and beyond. We love being engaged with our members and are also active across a range of issues and platforms. The Committee meets monthly.
Policy Subcommittee
The Policy Subcommittee aims to:
promote diversity and inclusion in the legal profession in the ACT; and
bring justice and social issues that affect women to the attention of WLA ACT members and the community.
We develop resources, programs and events directed to:
employment issues affecting women such as sexual harassment and discrimination;
flexible work practices for lawyers;
retention, attrition and pay equity for female lawyers; and
career progression of female lawyers into leadership roles.
We also promote awareness of human rights issues that affect women including by organising panel discussions and events, preparing submissions and reports and publicising law reform issues.
The policy subcommittee meets monthly. Please contact us at contact@wlaact.org.au for more information.
Communications Subcommittee
The mission of the Communications Subcommittee is to support the functions of the WLA ACT to promote the interests of women lawyers in the ACT. We do this in three core areas:
Connect – Support – Engage.
We connect with women lawyers in the ACT via the association’s social media, including Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter.
We support important policy initiatives of the association, as well as WLA ACT events throughout the year, by promoting events, organising invites, and capturing the highlights and important conversations arising from these events.
We engage members via the association’s many communications channels, including the website, social media, monthly emails to members, and the quarterly newsletter. We also engage the broader ACT legal profession by supporting the advocacy and policy work of WLA ACT. This includes providing assistance in drafting letters and other communications.
Please contact us at contact@wlaact.org.au for further information, or if you are interested in joining the Communications Subcommittee.
Events Subcommittee
The Events Subcommittee works with the general committee members to determine the calendar of events and activities throughout the year. Its hardworking members strategically organise, plan and coordinate with members of the judiciary and prominent women in the legal profession, as well as academics and women advocates to bring together exciting, diverse and informative events.
We strive to make our events:
A celebration of the value of women in the legal profession;
A platform for networking, connecting and fostering relationships; and
A way to educate our members and the wider public, including CPD events.
A snapshot of our past events include:
Mentoring events
Networking events
Family focused events
Our annual Lawyers’ Pay and Conditions Survey
Our annual Law Week Dinner (in collaboration with the ACT Law Society)
Regular continuing professional development seminars
For more information on our past and upcoming events, please see out Events page.
The Events subcommittee meets monthly (usually over a wine!). Please contact us at events@wlaact.org.au for more information.
Are you interested in getting involved with a WLA subcommittee?
Email us at contact@wlaact.org.au. We would love to hear from you!
If you would like to join WLA, you can purchase membership online.