Why Do Women Leave Law?

When asked to collaborate on an article for The Law Society Gazette on why women leave law, I jumped at the chance to participate. This is an issue I've commented on for years, gleaning observations from acting for women in the solicitors' profession. I've acted for female Managing Partners, trainee solicitors and everyone in between in all sizes of firms in London and across the nation. The reasons are not simple. I share here a few learnings.

• Law firms are very macho environments. I find this surprising given that women solicitors actually outnumber men but the prevailing ethos and ways of working are still very much driven by what I refer to as old-fashioned working methods: being seen at your desk in the office, being seen on the golf course or in the pub, being available 24/7, being able to work late because someone else is at home taking care of the kids. You get the picture.

• Do law firms really support working mothers? Solicitors' firms by and large will represent that they support working mothers but do they actually or is this what I call window-dressing? They have to be seen to be equal opportunity employers to win the business but is the reality on the ground really what they profess it to be? How many times have I acted for a female lawyer who has taken time off to have a child and they have gone back to work to a frosty atmosphere and one in which their junior has taken over some or all of their clients, leaving them flailing around, looking for work and pushed out because they cannot make their numbers? Lots.

• Does maternity leave impact careers in law firms? How many (male) partners think that if a woman takes time out to have a baby this signals that they are not really interested in partner track because otherwise why would they take up to a year off work? Yes. This is a thing. Comments are made to this effect. Still.

• The long hours culture is still the prevalent model. This does not work for women. It does not work for anyone who wants to stay healthy and sane. But it really impacts working women who simply cannot stay late or work weekends due to their caring responsibilities. The ones that do flourish are very often supported by brilliant partners who take over the childcare responsibilities on an ongoing basis. It is simply very difficult for women to do both roles.

We are seeing early evidence on the ground that men taking paternity leave are encountering some of the issues women meet when they take time off to have a family. Until more men take paternity leave and demonstrate that it need not impact career, I do not see things changing for the better in any meaningful way. If men start to see other men's careers' falter because of paternity leave, will they even take paternity leave? Statistics show that take up has been low and slow. It may not be such a good idea in practice even though of course there is nothing wrong with it at all. We are a long way off finding a solution to all of these issues but law has a retention issue and is bleeding talent.

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