Women in the Law UK expands into Yorkshire

Sally Penni, the founder of Women in the Law UK

Women in the Law UK, a not-for-profit networking and lobbying group with more than 700 members, is holding its first event in Leeds next month.

The Leeds launch, which is sponsored by Stowe Family Law and supported by Paula Dillon, a real estate partner at Womble Bond Dickinson and president of Leeds Chamber of Commerce, will take place on the evening of November 14 at the chambers of Park Square Barristers. A keynote speech will be delivered by Rachel Reeves, Labour MP for Leeds West and chair of the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Select Committee.

Other speakers at the event will include Rachel Roberts, managing partner in the Leeds office of Stowe Family Law, Nikki Alderson, a former barrister and business growth coach, Angela Gorton, an employment law partner at Lupton Fawcett and Griselda Togobo of Forward Ladies.

Women in the Law UK was founded in Manchester by the award-winning barrister Sally Penni to provide support to women at all stages of their legal careers and to tackle the gap in female representation in leadership roles within the profession. It runs a wide-ranging programme of events in the North West and last month held its first formal gathering in London.

Miss Penni said: “As the home of the nation’s fastest-growing legal sector, Leeds was the next logical destination for Women in the Law UK.

“According to the consultants PWC, last year just 18 per cent of partners in the UK’s top 10 law firms were women, despite more women than men joining the profession as trainees, so our work remains as urgent as ever.

“Our events have been really well received wherever they have been held, but Women in the Law is about much more than that. It’s a mentoring, networking and campaigning organisation and I would urge women – and men – throughout the sector to join us and become part of the movement for equality and inclusion in our fabulous profession.”

To book places at Women in the Law UK events, visit www.womeninthelawuk.co.uk or book directly via www.eventbrite.co.uk.