Maddocks has today released the next edition of our equitable briefing publication, Lifting the Bar, a celebration of the breadth of female talent, experience, and perspective that exists across the Australian Bar.

The publication provides a much-needed platform to highlight the expertise of female barristers, and provides procurers of legal services a resource that assists with making an inclusive briefing selection.

Profiling our leading national female counsel, this edition unveils the professional and personal insights of women barristers as they advance diversity, equity, and inclusion in the legal profession across New South Wales, Victoria and the Australian Capital Territory.

Since 2020, Lifting the Bar has been showcasing the achievements of women barristers at all levels of experience in a wide range of practice areas, providing inspiring stories on everything from career development and successes, to anecdotes of life outside of the courtroom.

In 2016, the Law Council of Australia launched the Equitable Briefing Policy - with the key target of having women barristers briefed in at least 30% of all matters by 1 July 2020. Since introduction of the Policy, the percentage of briefs received by women barristers has increased from 20% in 2016-17 to 31% in 2023-24 - but there’s more to be done, including ensuring that the value of briefs to women barristers continues to increase.

Maddocks is dedicated to making sure we, and other briefing entities, brief more work and more valuable work, to women barristers. In the 2024-2025 financial year, 36% of our briefs were to women barristers, representing 40% of the value of those briefs.

Commenting on the release, Maddocks co-chair of the Gender Equality Network and Partner, Anna Scannell, said:

“This year, the focus is national, reflecting a collaborative effort dedicated to driving meaningful change in the legal profession across the states in which we work. Representation matters. Our legal profession should reflect the society it serves, ensuring all voices are heard and valued. Equitable briefing is a practical and powerful way to ensure a wider range of voices are heard at the Bar table. When we do this, we build trust, credibility and a stronger legal community for everyone.”

Maddocks CEO, David Newman, added:

“One of the areas that requires greater commitment from all firms and clients is the advancement and retention of female counsel. There are so many outstanding women barristers and we are all responsible for supporting equity in the legal profession. Lifting the Bar is a call to action for all of us to ensure that this diversity is reflected in the work we do and the briefs we allocate.”

The support for his year’s release has been outstanding, with over 79 participants contributing to the important conversation.

“In my view, the broader the range of perspectives we have available in any area, not just at the Bar, the better the outcomes will be. Equitable briefing forms part of broadening the range of perspectives reflected in the law generally, and that has benefits for everyone who works in, or finds themselves involved with, the law,” said Dr Sage Leslie of Blackburn Chambers, ACT. “Equitable briefing is important because the Bar should, as much as possible, be representative of society. Where there are barriers to women receiving similar briefs to men, those barriers should be dismantled as much as possible and equitable briefing is part of the solution.” Victoria Brigden, NSW

Lifting the Bar is available to download from the Maddocks website here.