WBA Resources

Women

Resources

Women Barristers in Victoria - Then and Now records the highlights of the experiences and achievements of some of Victoria's most prominent women barristers.

'And what do we have here?' is a documentary and slideshow covering the history of the first 25 Victorian women barristers.

 

‘Lifting the Bar’ 2022

WBA was delighted to collaborate with Maddocks on the Victorian edition of ‘Lifting the Bar’ 2022.

‘Lifting the Bar’ profiles and celebrates the achievements of many amazing female barristers in Victoria, from both a professional and personal perspective.

The WBA extends their gratitude to all members who chose to share their stories and the editors of this great publication.

‘Lifting the Bar’ 2022 can be accessed here.

 

Court of Appeal statistics on appearance by gender

WBA is pleased to report that the Court of Appeal is now publishing statistics on a quarterly basis showing court appearances by gender.

The most recent statistics are available here: https://www.supremecourt.vic.gov.au/law-and-practice/court-of-appeal/court-of-appeal-data-on-gender-of-counsel

In civil appeals for 2016/2017, women appeared in up to 16 percent of matters, but held a speaking role in only 6 percent of matters.

Statistics were slightly better in criminal matters, with women appearing in approximately 25 percent of matters, and having a speaking role in up to 24 percent of matters.

The Law Council of Australia’s Gender Equitable Briefing Policy is designed to help address these kinds of inequalities. The policy has a target of women being briefed in at least 30 percent of matters and paid 30 percent of the value of all briefs by 2020.

In November 2018 WBA facilitated a presentation on The Gender Equitable Briefing Policy with The Honourable Justice Maxwell, President of the Court of Appeal; The Honourable Justice Quigley, President of VCAT; Richard Attiwill QC. The PowerPoint presentation from that presentation can be found here.

WBA will be monitoring these statistics over the coming months and will continue to post available data here.

 

Victorian Women’s Trust Grant

The WBA has secured a generous grant from the Victorian Women’s Trust which will assist to measure and analyse the number of female barristers appearing in Victorian Courts. The WBA is conducting research into the appearance rates of junior and senior female counsel in the Supreme Court and County Court of Victoria in comparison to the total number of female barristers working at the Victorian Bar. Shining a light on appearance statistics will promote equitable briefing and enhance the opportunities available to female barristers.

 

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