On Friday 11 March, amid the glitz and glamour of our annual meeting and gala dinner, I became the 88th chair of the Association of Women Solicitors (AWS).

Although for me it was a time of jubilation, it was also a time to look forward to the challenges ahead.

This year is a pivotal one for the AWS, since we are on the threshold of changes that could redefine the organisation.

We are an independent body that represents the interests of women solicitors as individuals, as opposed to law firms as a whole.

This means we are well placed to champion, raise, criticise, highlight and focus on issues that solely affect women solicitors, without the constraints of being a governing body.

The AWS has led, and will continue to lead, campaigns that affect women solicitors such as equal pay.

It is more than 40 years since the passage of the Equal Pay Act, yet women solicitors are still paid less than their male counterparts. This is unacceptable.

Inflexible working

The AWS commissioned one of the largest ever pieces of research on the work/life balance and flexible working arrangements of women solicitors throughout England and Wales.

he interim findings concluded that although the majority of the women taking part in the survey enjoyed their jobs, there was evidence of dissatisfaction among women solicitors regarding their working arrangements and promotion prospects.

The findings of the survey also highlighted concerns over the lack of opportunities to enable women to work flexibly.

We will also continue to raise and debate topical issues such as: partner quotas; the impact on women solicitors of the introduction of alternative business structures later this year; the continuing reduction in publicly funded legal aid work; and the lack of women in the judiciary and boardrooms.

Continuing professional development remains high on our agenda too.

We will therefore endeavour to maintain our ever-popular Returners Course, the Fiona Woolf Lecture and the AWS Awards, which highlight women solicitors’ achievements and successes.

Our support services, such as mentoring, and maternity and paternity helplines, will remain part of the bedrock of the AWS.

We will strive to maintain our identity and ethos regardless of the changes and challenges that lie ahead and to remain the essential national network for women solicitors, helping to promote the potential and success of each woman solicitor at every stage of her career.

As the economy is squeezed ever tighter and cuts go ever deeper, it is fair to say that women are fighting even harder to make their mark in all professions; and the legal profession is no exception.

Statistics show that women represent over 60% of new entrants to the profession, yet remain significantly under-represented at senior level. Moreover, the rate of attrition remains high.

The AWS will set out as its priority to challenge this trend and bring about change. To that end, this autumn the organisation will host the first-ever AWS Conference.

Not only will this conference provide a forum to debate and raise awareness of these issues, it is also our intention to critically examine the current law firm business model with a view to finding alternatives that will offer more scope for the advancement of women within the profession.

This year we also intend to take steps towards forging links at an international level with similar organisations, with the hope of sharing ideas and best practice.

It is imperative that we move the debate forward from asking whether there is a glass ceiling, to asking how to break through it.

The AWS needs to be at the forefront of that change and take control of its destiny, while remaining current, relevant and essential to the success of women solicitors.

Joy Van Cooten is chair of the Association of Women Solicitors