The College of Law NSW has held the first Continuing Legal Education (CLE) unit on women in the profession returning to practice after a career break.

The unit was launched by the college in recognition of the growing need for professionals and firms to address the increasing need for flexible work practices in order to make it feasible for employees, in particular women with children, to return to work. The three key themes of the seminar were flexible work, mentoring and returning to work after a break.

Presenter Juliet Bourke, a partner at Deloitte, said many professional service firms struggled with flexibility in the workplace because their business models are built around time. “There is a fundamental misconception that staff are not committed, ambitious or professional if they work part time,” she said

Bourke said she has only seen the legal profession take significant action on improving the situation for staff wanting to work flexible hours when the percent of female law graduates passed the 50 percent mark in the mid 2000’s. “It been a slow burn,” she said. “And quite a few of them have taken their eye of the ball in recent time.”

In order to improve the situation for all professionals wanting to work flexible work hours Bourke told the audience of legal professionals to take time to talk with their colleagues and managers. “There needs to be feedback on both sides,” she said. “Boundaries need to be established by both sides in order for it to work.”

Bourke cited research by IBM as evidence of how flexible work hours can assist all parties, including employers. “If you are working less hours you are more efficient,” she said. “The IBM study found that employees who worked flexible hours did an extra day’s work compared to their full time colleagues.”

Keynote speaker at the seminar Jane Needham, SC, has returned to legal practice three times during her career and currently works as a part time silk at St James Hall Chambers. “You need supportive people around you and you need to be proactive in telling them what you want and need. If you don’t have support, go and get it,” she told the audience.

As a mother of three Needham said a broader acceptance of flexible work practices was still needed within the legal community. “As far as I know, I am the only silk who has been appointed while working part time,” she said.