Gender Equality

Law firms in Northern Ireland should take action to address gender imbalance at a partner level, the Law Society has said, with women holding just three out of every 10 partner positions in private practice. Brigid Napier, the 10th woman to hold the position of Law Society president in its 100-year

Northern Ireland barrister Moira Smyth QC reflected on 100 years of women in the law in the latest lecture in the Legal History Project series, which is now available to watch on YouTube. The lecture followed a photographic exhibition hosted by The Bar of Northern Ireland, which celebrated and promo

Pakistan has sworn in its first female Supreme Court judge. Ayesha Malik, 55, will sit alongside 16 men on the country's top court. She was educated at the Pakistan College of Law and Harvard University and has served as a judge in the city of Lahore for the past two decades.

Company boards will have to comprise at least 40 per cent women under a private members' bill submitted today by a Fine Gael TD. Emer Higgins, TD for Dublin Mid-West, submitted the Irish Corporate Governance (Gender Balance) Bill 2021 to the Dáil after developing it in conjunction with the Na

Three women judges have made history in Wales after sitting as part of the criminal division of the Court of Appeal – the first time it has sat in Wales comprising all women.

Nearly half of state boards are falling short of a government target to have women making up at least 40 per cent of their membership. Public Expenditure and Reform Minister Michael McGrath updated ministers this week on progress to strengthen gender diversity on state boards across the Irish public

The Gender Pay Gap Information Bill 2019 has passed all the stages in the Dáil and Seanad Éireann. The bill was first introduced in April 2019 but it lapsed with the dissolution of the Dáil in 2020, before being restored to the Order Paper later that year.

The Court of Appeal of Northern Ireland has dismissed an appeal from the Department of Justice against a finding that it had discriminated against a female employee on the grounds of sex. The claimant alleged that she had been employed with the DOJ and had intermittently performed the functions of a

Corporate boards in Ireland should be required by law to comprise 40 per cent women within three years, the National Women's Council of Ireland (NWCI) has said. The NWCI yesterday launched a new report and campaign underlining the effectiveness of binding, legislative gender quotas to deliver signif

Statutory gender quotas on corporate boards are effective and should be introduced in Ireland, the National Women's Council of Ireland (NWCI) has said. The national women's membership organisation will launch a report later this month titled Increasing Gender Balance on Boards: The case for legislat

Women make up a majority of all practising solicitors in Ireland but just over a third of those at partner level, the Law Society of Ireland has revealed. To mark International Women's Day, the Law Society is calling for "renewed collective efforts to increase access to leadership roles for women in

A former captain in the Air Corps who suffered discrimination on the basis of her gender has been awarded €117,800 in compensation, the maximum possible. Yvonne O'Rourke was represented legally in the Workplace Relations Commission by the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission, who welcomed

The Law Society of Ireland will no longer use "Dear Sirs" as a salutation in formal letters and emails as part of its commitment to gender equality. Writing in her latest bulletin, Law Society president Michele O'Boyle said the Society would "lead the way in discontinuing the use of this outdated gr

UK law firm TLT has been recognised for its commitment to diversity and inclusion in Northern Ireland. The firm has achieved bronze accreditation from Diversity Mark NI, which seeks to address gender inequality in Northern Ireland.

Male solicitors were twice as likely as women to succeed in their applications for recognition as senior counsel, according to new figures. Just two women – Áine Hynes and Helen Noble – were named earlier this month among the first 17 solicitors to receive the honour.