Voice Coach Workshop for Lawyers - Lucy Cornell

WLA ACT is pleased to announce our upcoming event - 'Voice Coach Workshop for Lawyers', by renowned voice coach Lucy Cornell, with an introduction by Chief Justice Murrell.

Over 10 years of working in court rooms, as well as in the boardrooms she visits, Lucy’s experience is that women are still battling to have their voice heard. Male modes of communication still dominate and male voices are still favoured. Lucy will work with you to help you understand what is compromising your impact in court or in meetings, help you with specific techniques to address these issues, and attune you to the ways that spoken advocacy depends on more than the words alone.

You may be eligible to claim 2 CPD points in Core Area 3: Professional Skills.

Event details

Date and time: Saturday 6 May 2017, 1-3pm

Location: ACT Supreme Court

                6 Knowles Place, Canberra City

Cost:

WLA Members: $205

Non-members: $255

Tickets are available for purchase online.

Naomi Wootton Wins ANU Prize

WLA ACT was proud to support the 2016 ANU College of Law Student Academic Awards through its sponsorship of the Prize for Law Studies, an award for the female law student graduating with the highest academic achievement. This year's award was won by the very impressive Naomi Wootton.

Ms Wootton is a university medalist, and at this year's awards ceremony added 6 prizes to her remarkable resume. 

Ms Wottoon has now finished her studies and has taken up a role as Tipstaff for the Honourable TF Bathurst, Chief Justice of New South Wales.

We congratulate Naomi on her award and her significant achievements as a student at ANU. We wish her all the best in what is sure to be an illustrious career. 

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International Women's Day Event: Professor Patricia Easteal - Sponsored by Farrar Gesini Dunn

Snapshots of the Australian Legal System and Victims of Family Violence: Colliding Kaleidoscopes and the Gendered Iceberg

An Address by Professor Patricia Easteal AM

Don't miss our event to mark International Women's Day this year - to be held at ANU Commons on 9 March 2017 (the day after the official International Women's Day). 

Patricia will explain how the unconscious gendered filtering of 'reality' in our culture (the iceberg of biases) can militate against the successful translation of the many laws and amendments enacted to better address violence against women. 

Listen to the compelling address by Professor Patricia Easteal AM and then enjoy drinks, canapes and networking. 

The topic is relevant not just to lawyers but also to the community more broadly. To book a place, CLICK HERE

See you there!

WLA ACT is grateful for Farrar Gesini Dunn's sponsorship of this event. 

Mentor Breakfast - Noor Blumer

15 February 2017

Hotel Realm

On 15 February 2017, WLA ACT’s inaugural Woman Lawyer of the Year Award winner, Noor Blumer shared her experience with us at the Hotel Realm.

Noor’s achievements speak for themselves. She finished school at the age of 16 and studied law while working full time and raising children. Noor has served as the President of the ACT Law Society and runs the successful personal injury law practice Blumer’s Lawyers alongside her husband. 

Noor became a lawyer at a time when it was considered a profession ‘not suitable for women’. She recalls a time when women lawyers were not permitted to wear pants to Court and it was not unusual for Noor to find herself in situations where she was the only woman in a room full of men.  

During her period of practice, Noor has seen improvements in the profession for women lawyers but she recognises that there is still a long way to go. Noor’s advice to women lawyers is to support one another and embrace the sisterhood by being part of organisations such as the WLA ACT. Noor believes that the opportunities for her arose as a result of her putting her hand up and getting involved. She encouraged the audience to do the same - you never know what successes might come your way if only you say ‘yes’.

Noor’s advice to managers is to make sure that your staff are treated fairly. The gender pay gap is a reality and it is up to the managers to ensure that women’s contributions are valued.  

WLA ACT would like to extend a warm thank you to Noor for taking the time to share her experience and her insights into the profession.

Call for EOI - Associate Judge of the ACT Supreme Court

We would like to draw your attention to the Attorney-General's call for expressions of interest from eligible and suitably qualified people for appointment as the Associate Judge of the ACT Supreme Court.

Expressions of interest are sought from all areas of the legal community, including the private, government and community sectors. Women, people with disabilities and people of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and culturally diverse backgrounds are encouraged to apply.

For more information, click here.

We also remind you that WLA maintains a confidential register of women suitable for judicial or tribunal appointment. The register means that we can get in touch with you directly if a suitable vacancy arises. It also means that we can respond promptly to any consultation requests from government or others. To access the confidential register, click here.

Mentor Breakfast with Noor Blumer

Mentor Breakfast with Noor Blumer

WLA ACT is pleased to invite you to our first Mentor Breakfast of 2017, with guest speaker Noor Blumer, Director of Blumers Personal Injury Lawyers and 2016 Woman Lawyer of the Year.

Noor Blumer is currently Director of Blumers Personal Injury Lawyers. She moved to Canberra in 2000 and, with her husband Mark Blumer, established the successful and widely-recognised personal injury firm.

Noor finished school at age 16, and later studied law remotely from Griffith, NSW, while at the same time working full time and caring for her children. When she was admitted to practice, she was the only woman lawyer in Griffith and later became the first woman to be a law partner in the entire Riverina district. 

She has served as President of the ACT Law Society, when she was only the second woman to be elected in the Society's history. Her selection as WLA ACT's inaugural Woman Lawyer of the Year 2016 was a surprise to no one, being a leader and inspiration to her peers and the women lawyers who come after her. 

Mentor breakfasts provide our members with the opportunity to hear from a prominent woman in the legal profession and to celebrate and learn from their achievements.

Noor will share her insights on her fascinating career at our first mentor breakfast of the year.

Event Details

Date and time: Wednesday 15 February 2017, 7.45am. 

Venue: National Ballroom 4, Hotel Realm, Canberra. 

Cost: $45 for members and $50 for non-members.

Attendees will be able to claim 1 CPD point in Core Area 3. 

Please click here to purchase tickets.

Junior Lawyers Pay and Conditions Survey Launch

On 29 November 2016, WLA ACT, in conjunction with the ACT Young Lawyers Committee, held its annual ‘Junior Lawyers Pay and Conditions Survey Launch’.

Each year, WLA ACT, in collaboration with the Act Young Lawyers Committee, runs a survey targeted at early-career lawyers in the ACT to collect data about pay and conditions.

The Survey aims to collate information no only about the income of early-career lawyers, but also asks participants to provide their thoughts on what influences pay increases, whether they felt comfortable asking their employer for flexible working arrangements and their overall satisfaction of the legal profession.

This year we received 126 responses. The Survey was open to all early-career lawyers in the ACT jurisdiction, including lawyers working in the government sector lawyers. As with previous years, the Survey was conducted on an anonymous basis so as to encourage honest and forthright feedback.

Our Findings Report, analysing and presenting the results from the Survey, was released at our launch event on 29 November 2016. We were delighted to have Katrina Musgrove, Barrister at Blackburn Chambers, as our guest speaker. Katrina provided useful advice for early-career lawyers, including:

• When negotiating pay and conditions, you should advocate for yourself. Gather the evidence and prepare your submissions.
• Ask yourself, ‘what is your dream job? Where do you want to be?’ Have a plan and a goal.
• Seek out mentors – are there those in the profession that you admire?  
• Learn from your experiences, especially the painful ones.
• Be confident (‘get some swagger!’). 
• Finally, have fun. 

We would like to extend a special thank you to Minter Ellison who kindly sponsored this event.

Please click HERE to read the full Findings Report. 

Congratulations to the outstanding winners of the ACT Women Lawyers Awards 2016!

We are delighted for the outstanding winners of the inaugural ACT Women Lawyers Awards 2006 who were announced at the Gala Dinner at Old Parliament House on 3 November 2016.

Woman Lawyer of the Year: Noor Blumer (Blumers Lawyers)

Firm of the Year: Clayton Utz and DDCS Lawyers (joint winners)

Woman Lawyer of the Year - Private Practice: Sarah Avery (Ken Cush & Associates)

Woman Lawyer of the Year - CALD and ATSI: Liz Huang Hughes-Brown (Welcome Legal)

Woman Lawyer of the Year - Government: Helen Curtis (Australian Government Solicitor)

Woman Lawyer of the Year - Community and Academic: Margie Rowe (ANU College of Law)

Woman Lawyer of the Year - Early Career: Angela Lauman (Legal Aid ACT) and Lauren Haywood (Clayton Utz) (joint winners)

Read the media report here and the story by ANU College of Law here.