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Women Lawyers Conference 2019
8 Nov 2019 | Asian International Arbitration Centre, Kuala Lumpur
The second Women Lawyers Conference (WLC) 2019, built on the foundations laid in 2017, expanded the conversation from personal advancement to the structures and forces shaping the legal workspace itself. The conference addressed what it means to practice law in an era of always-on technology, toxic workplace dynamics, and rapid professional disruption, and asked every participant the same essential question: Your future has arrived. Are you ready?
The day was opened by then President of AWL, Sheena Gurbakhash, and the President of the Malaysian Bar.
Session 1 | Gender as a New Legal Practice Area examined the legal framework around gender discrimination, the forms it takes, and how practitioners can both navigate and address it in legal practice. Panellists included Shanti Dairiam and Amanda Kong, moderated by Goh Siu Lin.
Session 2 | The Toxic Workspace addressed marginalisation in its many forms, including gender, sexual, racial, and religious discrimination in professional environments, and explored what individuals and organisations can do to recognise and address toxicity.
Session 3 | 24/7 Access Kills! took on one of the most immediate pressures facing every woman lawyer: the collapse of the boundary between work and personal life in a world of smartphones and messaging apps. Panellists, including Dr Jasmine Begum of Microsoft, explored how to draw the line, how to say no, and whether the architecture of law firms and the corporate sector needs to change to focus on outcomes rather than availability.
Session 4 | Special Address: The Impact of Technology in the Legal Workspace was delivered by Terri Mottershead, Executive Director of the Centre for Legal Innovation at the College of Law Australia and New Zealand, who explored what technological change means specifically for women in the profession and how to connect the dots between disruption and opportunity.
Session 5 | Your Future Has Arrived. Are You Ready? brought the day to a close with a forward-looking conversation on the learnable skills needed to compete in the years ahead, and the imperative to congregate, communicate, and collaborate as a professional strategy. The session included the introduction of the WLC Mentorship Programme, and a Closing Address by YA Datuk Mary Lim, then a Court of Appeal Judge.
