Allens has highlighted its support for women in law as a signatory and advocate for the Law Council of Australia's National Equitable Briefing Policy, which aims to boost the number of briefs to women practising at the bar.
Together with other leading organisations, Allens has today called for the Australian legal and business communities to lend their support.
'In order to provide the best possible service to our clients, we work with the best educated, qualified and experienced barristers, regardless of gender,' said Ross Drinnan, Partner and Practice Leader, Commercial Litigation & Dispute Resolution.
'This policy will help us to identify and attract the most talented barristers to ensure we continue to offer the strongest representation to our clients.
'Supporting gender equality in the profession is important to our business and to our clients, as well as being the right thing to do,' he said.
Allens clients Westpac and Woolworths have also signed up to the policy.
As part of its support, Allens recently hosted a roundtable forum in Sydney, with barristers, law firms, corporate counsel and government representatives openly discussing some of the practical challenges of equitable briefing and how they might be overcome.
'We hope that by supporting the policy and continuing the dialogue on equitable briefing we will drive change in this important area,' Ross said.
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Notes for editors.
Allens is a commercial law firm working throughout Australia and Asia. Through its integrated alliance with Linklaters it provides clients access to 40 offices in 28 countries around the world.