Gender no longer an issue

BEST Wilson Family Law director Kara Best believes the glass ceiling has cracked when it comes to females in law.

The Toowoomba lawyer was surprised to hear that the number of female partners in Australia has doubled since last year but said gender was no longer an issue when it came to success in the legal industry.

“I don't think there is much discrimination against females in law anymore, especially in places like Toowoomba,” Mrs Best said.

“If you're good at what you do, that's all that matters.”

According to a recent survey by The Australian, out of the 204 lawyers that were made partner in the last year, a third of them were women.

However, while 46 per cent of the nation's lawyers are female and the number of female partners is growing rapidly, men still make up 80 per cent of the nation's partners.

“You can find older, more traditional law firms in metropolitan areas where the majority of senior ranks are male, but it's more balanced in Toowoomba,” Mrs Best said.

“While there are more male partners than female partners, many women lawyers have to balance their career and family and might not have the time to be in a partnership position.

“I think it's important to have a good mix of male and female staff and having great relationships with the other people in the firm always helps.”

Best Wilson has nine females and four males on staff and Mrs Best said some clients would request a female lawyer while others would ask for a male.