“Women at modern-day law firms are so petrified of appearing unproductive that they sometimes conceal cancer or heart attacks to avoid being marginalized” according to Linda Robertson, a veteran Vancouver lawyer as reported in one of Canada’s top National Newspapers, The Globe and Mail, describing a session at The Canadian Bar Association annual meeting held recently in Calgary
The presenters included The Right Honourable Beverley McLachlin, P.C.?Chief Justice of Canada who is quoted, among other things, as saying:
““The reality is that women entering the profession in droves have suddenly found themselves confronted with a very difficult, inflexible model of practice.”
“This is the question, I believe, for the future. How do we structure the way lawyers — women and men – work; the way they live, the way they serve the public?”
My View: As a Canadian Lawyer (now residing in Anguilla), I am proud of the remarks of the Canadian Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada and hope that all Managing Partners, regardless of where their firms practice, will commit to making the practice of law attractive to all lawyers, regardless of gender (or ethnicity for that matter).
Read the whole article.
Added Note: At least some firms seem to have made progress on this front – you may want to glance at the 50 Best Law Firms for women.