Women in Law

We have a variety of initiatives to assist women lawyers in their personal and professional success.

Every year — and with every graduating class of law-school students — women are increasing their presence in the legal profession. As firm and industry leaders, women lawyers also are working to transform the practice of law in ways that benefit clients, colleagues and communities alike.

Ally Law is committed to the values of diversity, equity, inclusion and representation. When it comes to women lawyers, our member firms around the world have developed and implemented numerous best practices to make ensure that their organizations, at every level, represent their communities.

Our Women in the Law initiative includes managing partners and founders,  mid-career lawyers, and junior associates. This group meets regularly at our in-person conferences and via online events to share information, expand legal and professional knowledge, support leadership development, and to help ensure that women’s voices are heard throughout our organization.

Recent session topics have addressed: 

  • Strategies for attracting and retaining women lawyers
  • Mentorship development
  • Working with male lawyers and allies
  • Networking and relationship-building
  • Developing effective management styles
  • Identifying and preventing gender bias
  • Work-life balance
Women in Law Ally Law legal network members at 2024 AGM

Michelle Douglas
Kalbian Hagerty

Strategies for Attracting and Retaining Women Lawyers

Women and their career trajectories are often affected by cultural challenges such as unequal access to opportunities, conscious and unconscious biases, and non-inclusive workplaces.

Join us to discuss ideas and strategies for leadership, management and organizational behavior that can help to retain and boost engagement for existing women lawyers in your firm, as well as attract more of them.

Melissa Terui Villegas
D&A Morales Monterrey, Mexico

Working Across Borders: Overcoming Intercultural Challenges

Join Melissa as she shares her experience as a young, Mexican woman lawyer working with lawyers (men and women) from different jurisdictions, hearing about the intercultural challenges she experienced and how she achieved productive relationships.

Sarah Manly
Russell Kennedy, Melbourne, Austrialia

Meet RK Women’s Network

For four consecutive years, the Workplace Gender Equality Agency has named Melbourne-member Russell Kennedy (RK) as Employer of Choice for Gender Equality. This is no doubt in part to the RK Women’s network, which creates opportunities to empower women through connection and development. Hear from the program’s leader on how the network was built and the successes that have come out of this initiative.

Kim Clarke
Varnum, Grand Rapids, MI

Developing Relationships to Build Your Practice

us to share tips on how to strategically navigate the development and maintenance of relationships within your firm, with clients, and within the community.

Carol Kerfoot
Kornfeld, Vancouver

Women Lawyers are not Men in Skirts

Gender difference makes a difference! Sometimes positive, sometimes negative, it’s important to understand how the attitudes and behaviors of men and women differ, and to develop strategies to address these differences in order to succeed in the workplace.

Paola Sangiovanni
Gitti and Partners, Milan, Italy

Management Styles: “We-economy” vs. “Me-economy”

Traditionally, women excel in creating cooperative working environments while men excel where an individual is at the center of the practice. Join our discussion on how women can bring greater awareness to connection and collaboration, and why the success of your firm depends on it.

Danielle Justo
Rich May, Boston, MA

Overcoming Gender Bias

Men are often judged on their potential while women are judged on their past performance. Join us to discuss patterns of gender bias, oftentimes subtle, and strategies for how to overcome having to prove that a woman is equally capable as a man.

Stephanie Loughner
Moye White, Denver, Colorado

Pushing for Equal Pay for Equal Work

The gender payment gap is an ever-present issue in the global workforce that affects women throughout their careers. Join me to discuss provisions of the Equal Pay for Equal Work Act recently enacted in Colorado, and discuss practical ways to strive for equity within your firm.

Bronwyn Eynon Lewis
Thynne + Macartney, Brisbane, Australia

Achieving Work-Life Balance

Today work-life balance ranks as one of the most important workplace attributes. And striking this balance is challenging even in the best of times, much less during a pandemic. Join us to explore sustainable ways to keep your professional and personal life in balance, giving due attention to all of the things that enrich and fulfill you.