For the first time in its 10-year history, the Law Council of Australia’s Equitable Briefing Policy has achieved both of its key gender equity targets, marking a significant moment for diversity in the legal profession.
The policy, introduced to address disparities in briefing practices, sets a benchmark that women barristers should receive at least 30 per cent of all briefs and 30 per cent of the total value of brief fees. While the profession has consistently met the volume target in recent years, the financial benchmark had remained elusive – until now.
According to the latest annual report, women barristers received 32 per cent of briefs and 31 per cent of total brief fees during the 2024–2025 reporting period.
President of the Law Council, Tania Wolff, described the result as a “significant milestone” driven by sustained, profession-wide efforts to improve equality and shift entrenched practices.
However, she cautioned that the progress should not obscure ongoing challenges. A decline in reporting participation this year has raised concerns about the completeness and reliability of the data.
“Progress against the targets must be matched by strong participation in reporting,” Wolff said, noting that efforts are underway to strengthen reporting processes and encourage broader engagement across the profession.
The milestone coincides with the release of the final report from the second review of the Equitable Briefing Policy, which outlines eight recommendations aimed at improving clarity and consistency in annual reporting.
Alongside this, the Law Council is expanding its focus on broader diversity issues within the profession. A new initiative, the National Attrition and Re-Engagement Study Plus (NARS+), is being conducted by the University of New South Wales to examine patterns of retention and career progression across different groups of lawyers.
The study builds on earlier research that helped shape the original policy and is expected to inform future workforce strategies aimed at ensuring the legal profession better reflects the community it serves.
Members of the profession are being encouraged to contribute to the study before the survey closes on 24 April 2026.
