Keep women in the profession

The prospect of Dianna Kempe QC being elected to the top position at the International Bar Association is to be welcomed.

The English-qualified, Bermuda-based barrister is set to become the first woman to lead the largest and most influential body of international lawyers.

Ms Kempe has set out her stall as a promoter of womens' issues.

A highlight of her two-year term will be an international women lawyers' conference in London next March, when the practicalities of being a professional woman in a modern law firm will undoubtedly be discussed.

This week, we also report that in the US, law firms are increasingly offering creche facilities for women lawyers who want to combine a professional life with motherhood.

The need to address the issue in this country is exacerbated by the changing demographics of the profession; 60% of legal practice course students are women, as is 35% of the practising profession.

However, 42% of solicitors on the roll but without practising certificates are female, indicating that a large number has had to leave practice.

As the Association of Women Solicitors has pointed out, female lawyers in the UK have for too long been forced to make a choice that their male counterparts have avoided: family or career.

Law firm creches and nurseries with playpens and toys might be a bit extreme, but the principle of trying to keep good staff is a valuable one.