The Navigating Careers in Law panel: (L to R) The Hon. Avril B. Inglis, Court of Queen's Bench of Alberta; the Hon. Stephanie McLean, Minister of Status of Women; and Ayla Akgungor, partner at Field Law
UAlberta Law students, faculty, and staff attended the first of three events on January 18 as part of the Women's Law Forum (WLF) Glass Ceilings speaker series.
The WLF is one of UAlberta Law's oldest cause-based clubs and its members include current UAlberta Law students and WLF alumni. The organization's goals are to examine the relationship between women and the law, to provide networking, mentoring, and support for women in law, to educate and foster a better understanding of women's issues, and to contribute to the community.
The first session of the series, Navigating Careers in Law, featured a panel comprised of the Hon. Stephanie McLean, Minister of Status of Women; the Hon. Avril Inglis, Justice of the Alberta Court of Queen's Bench; and Ayla Akgungor, a partner with Field Law. Dean Paul Paton provided welcoming remarks.
It was an opportunity for audience members to engage with these leaders in a rare, informal question period. Topics raised through audience questions ranged from politics, to gendered career barriers, to dealing with sexism in the workplace. The panellists were thoughtful, candid, and compelling, and their answers indicated a general sense of positivity and hopefulness for the state of women in the law.
Minister McLean noted that the greatest divide in Canada's gendered wage gap exists in the law. For this reason, some refer to the 'glass ceiling' faced by women lawyers as more of a 'cement ceiling.'
Justice Inglis added that, in the past, "being the ones that have to have the babies" tended to be a liability for women in the law. However, as more men begin to take parental leave, having children is becoming, in Minister McLean's words, "less of a gendered issue, and more of a 'people' thing." Akgungor agreed that even in private practice there is a palpable cultural shift. Her firm continues to support men taking parental leave and to facilitate flexible working options for employees.
The panellists also shared insights gleaned from challenging moments in practice. An audience member asked the panel how each woman handles instances where, because of her gender, her leadership or position of authority is disregarded or questioned. Minister McLean replied that she uses humour to diffuse the situation and tries to lead through making people feel comfortable. Justice Inglis noted that when, for example, a question is directed to the man in the room instead of to her as the person in the position of authority, she will intervene at the first instance. Akgungor recounted instances earlier in her career when clients only spoke to the male lawyer in the room, or when older lawyers made politically incorrect comments. "The important thing," she said, "is to address it in a non-threatening way because it is an opportunity to educate."
The second and third panels for Glass Ceilings are on the topics of Violence Against Women (January 19) and Women on the Margins (January 20).