Welcome to the Female Lawyers’ Club
Thank you so much for visiting the Female Lawyers’ Club!
This community is a safe and supportive environment for connecting with like-minded women and sharing our experiences of the challenges we face in our industry. Our number one aim is to inspire and support female lawyers to achieve their potential.
Why has the female lawyers’ club been set up?
The pay gap between male and female lawyers in the UK is 26%; one of the largest gender pay gaps of any industry. Based on the current rate of progress, it will take 86 years to close the pay gap. 86 YEARS! Unless you’re planning on living for a really long time, I’m afraid that’ll be too late for all of us.
Also, whilst 61% of newly qualified solicitors are women, by the time we reach partnership level, the figure falls dramatically to 35%. For the top 10 firms in the UK, the figure is just 18%. I’m sure you’ll agree that this is just not good enough. It’s only been 100 years since the first female solicitor was admitted in the UK, after all.
Not Just a Female Issue
I do not say that this is just a female issue. Of course, the societal, economic, political and cultural issues contributing to this issue are complex and varied, and will require commitment from all lawyers regardless of gender to effect real change.
It is society that needs to change. BUT. As Peter Drucker said, the best way to predict the future is to create it. So, I want to start a conversation about how we can effect change by joining together and sharing our knowledge and experiences. I believe that together we can help remind our members why they wanted to be a lawyer in the first place and why the law needs them and everything they bring to it. Together, we can be an unstoppable force and a powerful movement for good.
Where do we Start?
One of the main issues which came up repeatedly when talking to female lawyers was a deep-seated worry about being “found out” or, even worse, struck off. I guess it’s unsurprising that imposter syndrome is a huge issue in an industry where having authority, knowledge, experience and confidence are so important. There are many studies into men’s (entirely more favourable) views of their own level of competence when compared with women’s, and these indicate that women are far more likely than men to struggle with imposter syndrome. This can, in some cases, end up with women deciding to leave the profession as they conclude that they’re just not cut out for it.
This can be a real shame - the law needs people with humility, honesty and empathy after all.
If you struggle with imposter syndrome from time to time, I have a free gift for you. I want to encourage you to question your limiting beliefs and remember your worth. I have created a free guide for you to call on when you next face a limiting belief which is holding you back. This emergency rescue kit will help you combat imposter syndrome in 7 easy steps, and will take less than 30 minutes to do. You can get your free copy by signing up below.
Have a look and let me know what you think. Was it helpful? Is there something missing which you think may help others? Was there a killer female anthem I missed out? I’d love to know what you think.
- Rachel