Canadian Lawyer

www.canadianlawyermag.com 29 — government, clinics, in-house — aren't part of the traditional definition of "success" taught at law school. Life goes through cycles or "sea- sons," oscillating between opportunities to get out and network, times where you nur- ture your existing networks and times when you draw on those relationships, says Colette Stewart, senior legal counsel at Interac. "There's a time in your life where you can't be out, you can't be at everything," says Stew- art. "As women, it is so important to recog- nize what is happening in your life and be purposeful with your time and energy. Some- times, we think about networking against our time and personal responsibility. . . Those networks will open a door for you when you need a job, because you do have to leave a role because it doesn't fit with your life. Those things are real." Lawyers at the summit put much of the onus on firm leadership to quit papering over the work women do to support the profession. "It's important for you to recognize fe- WHAT MEN AT FIRMS CAN DO When planning business development opportunities and firm events, consider associates' lives and priorities. Create teams around each file so that work can be handed back and forth seamlessly before and after leaves (parental or other- wise). Formalize time for lawyers to take lunches with law school colleagues. — Jacquelyn Stevens, Willms & Shier Environmental Lawyers LLP Build in ramp-ups and ramp-downs of work around parental leave, gradually reducing or increasing hours and shifting more work to a non-billable format. While these periods can still be negotiated, setting a standard avoids an endless period giving mothers less valuable files or travel because of their young children at home. — Michelle Henry, Borden Ladner Gervais LLP Encourage men to take leave to deal with issues such as aging parents or sick children. Encourage young women to put their names forward for bigger opportunities. — Lydia Bugden, Stewart McKelvey When someone exhibits bias, a silent pause and asking, "Why do you ask that?" can prompt people to recognize their bias at play. — Denise Dwyer, Ontario Ministry of Education Reduce subjectivity in partnership promotion discussions with formal applications. — Rebecca Bromwich, Gowling WLG Ask women how they want to be supported — but remember it's not the job of women to educate us. — Sunil Gurmukh, Western Law Budget for diversity and inclusion events and retention programming every year. — Charlene Theodore, Ontario English Catholic Teacher Association Acknowledge that almost everyone — men and women — hold unconscious biases that reflect traditional gender roles. These can only be overridden consciously. — Laleh Moshiri, Borden Ladner Gervais LLP Don't play head games that put women down as part of your litigation strategy. — Shara Roy, Lenczner Slaght Royce Smith Griffin LLP Set an example within your team that it's OK to have a personal life. — Alena Thouin, Financial Services Regulatory Authority Tell clients that equity is a priority for you. — Colette Stewart, Interac Institute more competitive maternity leave, walk the "walk" on work-life balance, trust employees to get work done, set widely understood compensation targets, give women tasks they can use as stepping stones and don't turn your back on women when they come to you with an issue. — Rose Leto, Neinstein LLP Don't fall back on excuses: that you've already "dealt with" the issues of women in your firm through a policy that's merely window-dressing, or that you're the "exception" to the rule when it comes to a systemic issue. — Dale Osadchuk, Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg LLP Dale Osadchuk Partner, Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg LLP

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