Women lawyers in regional, rural and remote NSW have a new voice with the formation of NSW Regional Women Lawyers. The new professional body has been formed to ensure current and future women lawyers have the same benefits and opportunities as their Sydney CBD colleagues.
It is having its first event on February 22 in Newcastle which will also be streamed online. Guest speakers are dean of the School of Law at the University of Wollongong Trish Mundy and lawyer and academic turned business consultant Dr Natasha Cica. The pair will discuss the challenges and opportunities of being a woman lawyer outside Sydney and on influencing justice-related change. They will be introduced by Professor Tania Sourdin, dean and head of school, University of Newcastle Law School.
Ms Mundy’s academic areas of interest are gender issues and regional lawyers. She co-authored the e-book Place of Practice – Lawyering in Rural and Regional Australia. Dr Cica studied law and worked as an academic at ANU. For the last 20 years, she has been working to design and deliver change and has a business developing the capacity of individuals, teams and organisations.
Inaugural NSW Regional Women Lawyers president and Central Coast based lawyer, Michelle Meares, said the new body is about giving women lawyers from regional, rural and remote areas of the state a voice. Ms Meares said NSW Regional Women Lawyers is about inclusion, consultation, diversity and increased regional representation for all NSW women lawyers.
“We will provide services and support to women lawyers outside the Sydney CBD and advocate on key issues impacting them,” Ms Meares said.
“More practitioners are making the move to regional areas for reasons including a better work life balance,” she said.
“But they experience unique issues such as distance and resulting lack of collegiality, lack of critical services for their clients, impacts of climate and, in some areas, significant socio-economic disadvantage.”
“Women lawyers in the regions play important roles in their communities and undertake significant probono work. There is a serious staff shortage in regional firms and attraction and retention is a significant issue that needs addressing”.
A second event – a one day conference – will be held in Orange on March 24.
NSW Regional Women Lawyers is now welcoming members. Chapters are being established across NSW. Details are on its website – www.nrwl.org.au
Inaugural NRWL event
When: February 22 from 5 pm to 6:30 pm
Where: Hunter Community Legal Centre (Level 2, 116 Hunter Street, Newcastle) and online
FREE – Click here to register via humanitix.com
Founding members
- Michelle Meares (president) – principal of Central Coast firm Meares Law. Ms Meares is a current NSW Law Society councillor, a member of the Family Law Panel for Legal Aid NSW, and member of the Council for Law Reporting of NSW appointed by the Governor.
- Catherine Henry – principal of Newcastle based regional NSW law firm Catherine Henry Lawyers. Ms Henry is a former executive member of the NSW Women Lawyers Association and the founder and former convenor of its Newcastle chapter. She is a former president of the Newcastle Law Society and was named Australian Law Awards Regional and Suburban Lawyer of the Year in 2020.
- Bronwyn Ambrogetti – principal solicitor at the Hunter Community Legal Centre. Ms Ambrogetti has held senior roles in the community legal sector in Newcastle and on the Central Coast and has mentored many young lawyers doing their practical legal training.
- Nicole Armitage – principal of Newcastle based E-Conveyancing NSW. She previously worked as a costs lawyer in Sydney and was appointed a costs assessor by the Supreme Court in 2014. She has practised in personal injury law, administrative law and in superannuation litigation.
