The Legal Profession Of England And Wales

This workplace gender inequality is similarly evident in both the political and legal arenas, with 2012 statistics finding that ‘10 percent of all Federal Parliamentarians across Australia were women (66 out of 226)’. Furthermore, it has been identified that of the ‘current 932 individuals who make up the private Bar of the Queensland Bar Association, only 19.7 percent are women’, and of the whole of Queensland’s’ magistrates, only 36 out of 93, are women. As these statistics so clearly indicate, women are grossly underrepresented in the political and legal arenas, and the workplace in general. There are varying arguments that can reason this inequality, however, the most persuasive and logical places the blame on the orthodox gender roles that society has adopted and endorsed. As a result of these gender roles, men are automatically assumed to dominate more masculine occupations such as construction, engineering and law, while women often subjected to domestic occupations, such as, childcare, retail, nursing and education. Women are subsequently judged on their perceived gender role and not on their merits or competence, and are therefore unable to ‘equally contribute to and benefit from economic, social, cultural and political life’. The underrepresentation of women in the workplace is astounding and the reasons for why this inequality has riddled the Australian workforce can be answered by

Gender inequality has been a hot topic throughout the last several decades. A majority of the research on gender inequality has been focused on the unequal and unfair treatment of women in the home, the workplace, in politics, etc. While research on gender inequality covers many areas of concern, it generally does not take into consideration the legal system inequalities that men may face. Also, a large amount of research has been done on unfair police and judicial interactions with men, but very little has not been done on the overall gender disparity of those seeking legal help. This research presents an exploratory analysis of gender and its influence

Merit –compare and contrast the role of judges ,lawyers and lay people within the English courts.

Despite legislation for equal opportunities, sexism is still evident in the workplace. Women have made great advancements in the workforce and have become an integral part of the labor market. They have greater access to higher education and as a result, greater access to traditionally male dominated professions such as law. While statistics show that women are equal to men in terms of their numbers in the law profession, it is clear however, that they have not yet achieved equality in all other areas of their employment. Discrimination in the form of gender, sex and sexual harassment continues to be a problem in today’s society.

“Portia’s Progress”, a speech given by Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor demonstrates the numerous trials and tribulations throughout the years that women have faced during the struggle to not only practice law but to be considered an equal member in any position in the work force.

The process of discrimination is still going on today even though the Civil Rights Act of 1964 banned the form of discrimination in race, color, religion, sex, and national origin. A major way this is taking place is through the court system . In the book, Just Mercy, Bryan Stevenson  a young and inexperienced lawyer fought to work for the poor. As Stevenson’s career moves on not only does he look to help the underprivileged, but he calls to action and fights the unjust justice system. While reading Just Mercy, I felt inspired to do something related with the justice system and working with disadvantaged clients. I believe the skills of a lawyer may be giving, caring and hardworking. As a potential new lawyer, I would fight for the disadvantaged and to bring attention of these issues to the forefront of the nation.

The requirements needed to practice law today consist of an undergraduate school degree, an impressive Law School Admissions Test (LSAT) score and grade point average, a law school diploma and a successful completion of the Bar Exam. There exists no legal boundaries or barriers to the practice of law, only the desire and work to do so. Subsequently, the percentage of female students enrolled in law schools across the United States has remained at nearly half of the population of universities since 2000. This percentage is

Several decades after the Melbourne Tailoresses took the first significant step towards demonstrating the ability of women to take the lead there was another development for women in the workplace. When it came to practicing law the field was entirely male dominated until the introduction of Ada Evans and Flos Greig. While there was no law that specifically stated women could not study law and achieve their degree, there was an obstacle in place in Common Law which made the feat incredibly difficult, it did not regard a woman as a ‘person’ (Pelley. 2015, p.36). Nonetheless, in spite of being told by the Dean of Sydney University that she should instead pursue medicine, Ada Evans persisted with her cause and was the first woman in Sydney to

Thirdly, a barrier faced by women is the area of law practised in; 'Female barristers are more likely to conduct legal aid work than men, and are over represented in certain types of criminal defence work particularly those relating to sexual offences and children'1. This is evident in the report published in 2013 by the bar standard board which showed that '61% of female barristers were concentrated in family'2 law as opposed to '39% of males'3, the men, dominated other areas including, criminal commercial and civil. The barrier this creates is the taking of silk and appointment to queen's counsel; after 20 years as a Barrister when one applies for silk they would be denied based on the lack of development/ involvement in notable complex cases, when concentrated in one area of law the likelihood of having ones work being noticed is slim and some women do not apply based on this, as is evident in the Bar standard board report which showed that '75% of female barristers eligible to apply did not apply and out of 25% of application 10%'4 were unsuccessful compared to '47% of eligible males not applying and 33% out of 53%'5 being accepted. The higher court Judge Bobby Cheema Grubb was the first 'Asian female judge to be assigned to the Queen's bench

As a result of residual archaic practices, the modern legal profession faces the dilemma of having underrepresented groups who most commonly derive from either being of the female gender and/or being of Black, Minority or Ethnic (BME) descent. It has also been noted that those from a low socio-economic background also have difficulties reaching heights in the legal profession that are of ease to their opposing counterparts. These particular groups of people often struggle in progressing and developing a career within the legal profession due to a wide array of barriers.

The main duty of a solicitor is to uphold the rule of law. Therefore, if a solicitor himself is subject to a serious criminal offence then the personal integrity of the solicitor is questionable, as is the solicitor’s competence to uphold the rule of law. Furthermore, solicitors are required to be individuals who possess professional moral character in order to meet the standards expected of a reputable competent solicitor. Therefore, the focus of the rules and codes of conducts regulating the profession consist of underlying principles of morality, justice and professionalism. However, viewing child pornography or being in possession of such images is a serious criminal offence because it is viewed as ethically wrong and immoral. Consequently, Solicitor A has demonstrated that he is not of good moral character and

Gender is a critical dimension of judicial diversity illustrated by the proportions of positions awarded to the males and females on the judiciary. There are different ways of rationalising judicial diversity where judicial appointments follow policy and law that promotes equal opportunities. The judiciary needs to show sensitivity to the experiences and needs of the different elements of legal systems where the judiciary requires illustration of diversity for service as well as diverse judiciary with increased accountability of legal democracies. The current preclusion the gender incorporation dictates the alternative dimension regarding judicial diversity. Features of judicial initiatives towards achieving ethnic and gender diversity are assessed through qualitative and quantitative perceptions and experiences of judicial bias.

One of the largest issues in developing a career in the legal profession is diversity as there is a perceived image of the legal sector being a traditionally “white, male, middle class” profession. Harold Patrick and Vincent Kuman argue, “the concept of diversity includes acceptance and respect. It means understanding that each individual is unique and recognizing our individual differences” . This essay will examine the social class, educational and gender barriers underrepresented groups face in developing a career in the legal profession. The effectiveness of measures taken to promote diversity in England and Wales will then be evaluated. This essay will go on to ultimately conclude that the legal profession in England and Wales has become increasingly diverse over the years, although a significant lack of diversity does still exist within the upper tier of the profession.

Explain and critically consider the use of lay magistrates in the legal system of England and Wales.

In the past 3 decades, women made great advancements in the workforce. First, they have become an integral part of the labour market; they have access to higher education and consequently to traditionally male dominated professions such as medicine, law and business. While statistics show that women are equal to men in terms of their numbers in the law profession, it is not clear however, whether they have achieved equality in all other areas of their employment. In this paper, I will examine women’s experiences in the law profession; whether women are earning equal salary compared to the male lawyers, do they still face barriers that are gender related and whether they have broken the glass ceiling in a profession that is supposed to be