Celebrating women in law on International Women’s Day 2023

 

Today (8 March 2023) is International Women’s Day, a global day to celebrate the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women, and to raise awareness about inequalities and discrimination.

This year the theme for #IWD23 is #EmbraceEquity to ensure we have a more inclusive world which challenges gender stereotypes, calls out discrimination, and draws attention to bias.

Here at Novum Law, we are proud to support International Women’s Day. As a law firm with people at its heart, we are committed to equity, equality, inclusion and diversity.

We actively promote a culture that supports all our employees and offer a workplace where women are recognised for their achievements and are given opportunities to thrive without obstacles.

We are proud to have a legal team that is 83% female, including directors, solicitors, lawyers, paralegals, legal executives and secretaries. And we are always on the look-out for more sensational women to join our team.

Every day, we see the dedicated and life-changing work our female colleagues do, using their expertise to help vulnerable clients who have been injured or harmed through no fault of their own.

Chief Executive Sally Calverley says:

“This is a special day that has been celebrated across the world by millions of people for over 100 years. It’s a day for reflection, to think about the many positive changes that have happened over the years to create a more equal society.

“It is also an opportunity to shine a light on the many incredible achievements of the women in our business, who have made, and continue to make such a tremendous contribution to our success.

“Earlier this month, I was thrilled to promote 2 of our senior solicitors, Diane Reading and Hannah Carr to Directors of Novum Law. Both women have played vital roles within their respective teams to develop and grow our business, and their hard work, tenacity, commitment and determination to do the best they can for our clients inspires us all.

“Sadly, not all women in the legal sector are recognised for their contributions and achievements. The Solicitors’ Regulation Authority (SRA) reports that while women make up over half (52%) of lawyers in English and Welsh law firms, just 35% of partners.  While things are moving in the right direction and there are initiatives in place to improve diversity, promote inclusion and eradicate discrimination, clearly, more needs to be done to ensure the legal sector is more diverse and there is a more level playing field for all.”

This is something that specialist women’s health solicitor and recently promoted Director, Hannah Carr, feels strongly about. She says:

“Despite their skills and capabilities, women from all walks of life and in all kinds of professions are still, far too often, held back and face discrimination around issues such as pregnancy, childcare and menopause, as well as outdated and stereotypical misconceptions about women being less able to do the same work as men.

“While equality has come on in leaps and bounds in the legal sector in recent years, we need to see more women in senior leadership positions and have more role models for aspiring female lawyers who want to join the profession.”

You can watch a video of Hannah talking more about International Women’s Day and the career pathway for women in the legal sector here:

To learn more about International Women’s Day visit: https://www.internationalwomensday.com.