Lawyer Monthly - September 2024

application process. Women can be hesitant to acknowledge that they have ambitions for silk or partnership. Creating a culture of information sharing and normalising ambition is vital. Personal Reflections Looking back at your career, what are you most proud of? I am most proud of the wellbeing work I have done in Chambers with colleagues because I know this will benefit future members. If you could change one thing about the legal profession to benefit women, what would it be? I would like to see the end of ‘manels’ or all male panels. There is really no good reason for them in 2024 particularly when there are women led groups who can help identify good speakers. WWW.LAWYER-MONTHLY.COM 23 Contact Constanze Bell Kings Chambers Tel: 0345 034 3444 Email: gsmith@kingschambers.com www.kingschambers.com currently trialling a series of in-house seminars addressing common wellbeing issues like work-life balance. Challenges and Opportunities What unique challenges do women in law face today compared to when you started your career? Are there any opportunities or trends that you believe women in law should be aware of and capitalize on? I think women should make the most of the female led networks now increasingly available to them. I think they should be confident in asking for additional responsibility and equally confident in ensuring that they get credit for their work. I would like them to know that there is a whole community of female lawyers cheering them on who can support them through tough times if needed. Diversity and Inclusion How does diversity and inclusion within the legal profession impact the overall effectiveness and fairness of the legal system and what initiatives or programs have you seen that effectively promote diversity and inclusion in law? There are an increasing number of programs directed at promoting diversity and inclusion in law. A recent example is the PEBA Women’s ‘Silk Demystification’ event aimed at explaining the silk

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