March/April 2020 Issue

Welcome to the joint March/April issue of fivehundred. It can’t have escaped anyone’s attention that March is Women’s History Month and, on 8 March, we also celebrated International Women’s Day, with this year’s theme being ‘Each for Equal’. In short, we are all responsible for how we think and how we act, each and every day, both individually and collectively. We are all the sum of our parts; by challenging stereotypes and fighting bias, all of us can positively impact our professions and wider society to help build a gender-equal world.

Of course, actions do speak louder than words, and the sobering reality is that, in many respects, gender equality is still maddeningly out of reach. The fact that, in 2020, we still need an official day – and, indeed, month – to remind us of the incredible contribution women make to society demonstrates that we still have a long way to go. However, rather than dwell on the significant work still to be done, this month’s fivehundred instead showcases an abundance of great stories about great women doing great things.
For example, four of Norton Rose Fulbright’s nine US Management Committee are women, three of them from minority backgrounds. In recognition of this strong example of female leadership within one of the largest global law firms, we profile each of these women’s practices and management responsibilities, and ask about their experiences as women in the legal profession.

Staying stateside, Jami McKeon, firm chair at Morgan Lewis, the largest law firm in the world led by a woman, shares her thoughts on women in the legal profession; DLA Piper US’s Ann K. Ford speaks about creating a global competitive edge, and the challenges still facing women attorneys; and Selendy & Gay’s co-managing partner, Jennifer Selendy, talks about creating a culture of excellence.

From here in the UK, Caroline Greene, Brown Jacobson’s new senior partner discusses firm leadership, #MeToo, Brexit, and the importance of listening to your people, while Sarah Henwood, CEO of Thomson Snell & Passmore – the world’s oldest law firm – talks about standing the test of time.

Turning to the client side, Meredith Moore, global diversity and social responsibility director, and Robert Lennon, chief business development and communications officer, explain how Weil has transformed its approach to diversity in client pitch activity and achieved measurable results. Meanwhile, GC Anat Hakim speaks about making the move in-house, and how she works with outside counsel.

From Australia, we hear from HFW’s Stephanie Lambert in Sydney and Jo Garland in Perth about why partnership and parenthood should not be mutually exclusive, while Ashleigh DoRozario, a legally blind lawyer at Potts Lawyers in Queensland, writes passionately on why lawyers with impairments need to lead by example to destigmatise disability.

Sticking Down Under, Melia Benn, one of only two practising Indigenous women barristers at the Queensland Bar, speaks about her pathway into law, the obstacles she’s faced as an Indigenous woman, and what the Australian legal industry can do to improve Indigenous representation.

Finally, as we move into April, we will also be regularly publishing articles on how the global legal profession is adapting to the Covid-19 pandemic. Keep up to date with all firm and chambers news and opinion on the outbreak of the virus here.

I hope you enjoy the content above, as well as the additional content you will find among these pages online, and please stayed tuned for more exclusive content focusing on diversity and inclusion coming very soon!