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The numbers don’t lie, as women dominate the Trans-Tasman legal workforce. Raw data shows that their share in terms of practicing solicitors is:
63% in Australia
68% in New Zealand
The New Zealand Law Society notes that women comprise 57% of the wider profession and 65% of new lawyers in their first seven years, yet only 34% of partners or directors. This is evidence that gains thin out at the top, with senior leadership roles still tilted towards men.
Katie Rusbatch, CEO of the New Zealand Law Society, cautions that the numbers indicate progress for top female lawyers, but lived experience shows the gaps.
“Some of the barriers and obstacles for female lawyers working in New Zealand include a lack of flexible working policies, issues around pay parity, gender diversity in senior roles and leadership positions and equitable briefing and instruction practices,” she explains.
“Over time, some of these have gained greater prominence; for instance, flexible working has attracted greater attention in recent years, but overall, these issues have been consistent.”
That imbalance frames the fifth annual Australasian Lawyer and NZ Lawyer’s 2025 Elite Women list, which recognises 70 top female lawyers who have built influence in areas where progress has been slower to take hold.
This year’s cohort is weighted towards senior titles such as partner and principal. The presence of directors, general counsel and other leadership positions highlights how far progress has reached, even as the profession continues to work on equal access to the very top.
Asked whether women have improved access to senior roles in 2025, Francesca Bartlett, associate professor at TC Beirne School of Law, The University of Queensland, states, “There is no doubt that there are improvements for solicitors. Many of the large law firms have concerted programs to achieve parity, which include nuanced understandings of valuing careers that might not follow the ‘benchmark male’ career. At the bar, the picture remains concerning. In academia, there is also work to be done to support women in senior roles.”
Lisa Gazis, managing director at Mahlab (Australia), added that recognition itself requires more than technical skill. “For people to perceive you as an elite woman, you need to be able to cover several things,” she says. “And one of them is not just being excellent in terms of your legal skill set but also being able to show that you’re a leader and that you’re someone who brings the leadership, the practice skills and the profile and is also interested in giving back and increasing the profile of women lawyers in the profession.”
AL and NZL invited nominations from across Australia and New Zealand to highlight outstanding female lawyers. The editorial teams reviewed the submissions against recent achievements and influence on the profession to select this year’s honourees.
This report’s findings and the industry insight provided emphasise:
balancing strong legal ability with empathetic and ethical leadership
combining legal expertise with emotional intelligence, cultural competence and a commitment to service through mentoring and pro bono work
for culturally diverse women, succeeding in spaces that weren’t built with them in mind and still finding ways to thrive, influence and reshape the profession
adapting to change with resilience, creativity and openness to new ideas
leading by example through visibility and managing people well
raising the profile of women lawyers and creating opportunities for others
AL and NZL’s data show that most winners have more than 20 years in practice, with several surpassing three decades.
One Victoria-based awardee, Eugenia Mitrakas, managing partner at EMR Mitrakas, marks more than 50 years, having broken barriers as the first woman elected to the Law Institute Council in 1984 and later the first woman to chair Victoria’s Legal Admissions Board.
Reflecting on her journey, she recalls, “I broke glass ceilings in the legal profession and along the way gained the respect of my colleagues and peers. I used this to lobby for equal rights for women in the profession.”
This depth of tenure underlines how recognition tends to come after sustained contribution, highlighting a pool of lawyers whose influence has been built over decades of leadership, client work and community impact.
Yet longevity does not always translate into senior roles.
In Australia, only 28% of equity partners and 39% of board members are women.
More than one-third of private practice partners or principals are female, yet that figure only reached 36% after a decade of 10-point growth.
Men continue to dominate the most senior private practice roles, while women remain concentrated in junior positions.
In New Zealand, women now hold 56% of salaried partners, up from 50% in a single year, and 41% of equity partnerships. Similarly, female equity partnerships have grown to 41%
Among this year’s Elite Women, views are mixed – 55% said they still see a lack of women leaders, while 45% did not – underscoring how uneven progress feels across firms and practice areas.
That divide is evidenced clearly in the winners’ comments. For some, barriers remain stark. Others see signs of change, with more women finding their way into senior positions.
“We can’t be what we can’t see. We need more visibility of women leaders”
“Yes, and not because there aren’t capable, exceptional women in law. There are plenty. But too many of them are buried under the weight of doing the work, carrying their teams, managing perception and balancing life outside of work”
“There are many inspiring women in the profession, but there are too few who continue to progress in their careers, particularly post-children”
Some push back on that view, pointing to gradual gains across firms.
“There are countless incredible women leaders in law, but none of us is doing it easily. We need to be honest and work together to address the challenges and be the change we want to see”
“I think we have a rich portfolio of women leaders, although sometimes they might shy away from stepping up”
Belinda Wong, national vice president, and Felicia Chan, national advocacy and policy portfolio secretary, of the Asian Australian Lawyers Association, acknowledge that there’s been positive movement across the industry.
“However, senior roles are still disproportionately held by men, and intersectional representation is still lacking, with culturally diverse women rarely visible at the top,” explains Chan.
She stresses that access alone is not enough. “We need to look at retention, progression and the quality of leadership experiences. Are women being supported once they get there? Are they able to lead authentically?”
Bartlett observes both progress and persistence. “Historically, there were discriminatory practices associated with a preference for hiring people who those senior men felt were like them. This often produced hostile workplaces for women, including those where sexual harassment was common,” she says.
“Given that our industry is now female-dominated, I hope many of these traits are uncommon. Nevertheless, I believe there are continued challenges associated with women occupying inherited gender roles requiring significant personal caring responsibilities and unconscious biases of those in senior roles about gendered aptitudes and interests.”
Wong and Chan emphasise that while overt bias has receded, subtler barriers remain. “Overt bias has largely given way to more subtle forms such as unconscious bias, assumptions about leadership style, questions of ‘fit,’ and uneven access to high-visibility work,” says Wong. “For culturally diverse women, the bias is often intersectional, encompassing a mix of gendered and racial stereotypes that can manifest in exclusion from informal networks or being overlooked for client-facing roles.”
Gazis agreed that many obstacles remain familiar. “I speak to female lawyers all the time, and work-life balance is a huge pressure. It is a pressure generally across the profession, but even more so, women have the additional responsibility of looking after children and families.”
She also remarked that women often earn less than men, though the gap is narrowing, partly because career breaks and periods of absence interrupt their progression.
“In other instances, perhaps they’re not as pushy as their male counterparts, but there does seem to be a bit of inequality at times. And then there’s the usual discrimination, and some of that is by unconscious bias.”
These observations track with national data. Female solicitors working full-time in Australia earn on average $36,500 less than their male counterparts, with disparities widest in senior bands and with tenure.
The superannuation gap has fallen from 24.6% to 21.3% in the same period.
Yet inequities persist for Asian women at 10.2%, wāhine Māori at 12% and Pacific women at 15.8%.
The New Zealand Law Society has pushed to address these gaps through its Gender Equality Charter, launched in 2018. Rusbatch says 143 active signatories are committed to measures such as:
challenging unconscious bias
promoting flexible work
conducting pay audits
setting targets for equitable briefing
She points to Anderson Lloyd as an early signatory that has since become a leader, with 50% of its equity partners and 50% of its briefing now equitable between men and women. Rusbatch adds that the Law Society will publish the results of its 2025 Gender Equality Survey in November, providing a fresh measure of progress.
A clear majority of this year’s Elite Women report that their firms have policies guaranteeing equal pay for the same role regardless of gender. Yet more than a quarter say no such policy exists, exposing a gap that undermines confidence in fairness at work. For a profession where clients and recruits are watching closely, the absence of formal safeguards leaves firms vulnerable to scrutiny.
Wong and Chan note that clients are increasingly holding firms accountable. “Stakeholders expect firms to reflect the communities they serve, and having women in senior positions is seen as a marker of progressive and ethical leadership,” Wong says. “However, these expectations must be matched by genuine cultural change, not just performative metrics for optics.”
In their own words, winners described the hardest parts of practice in candid terms. For many of these top female lawyers in Australia and New Zealand, the challenge sits less in the legal work and more in the structures, perceptions and expectations around it.
Themes of balance, bias and visibility ran through their reflections, though each voice brought something distinct.
“The most challenging aspect is finding the right blend between the demands of full-time work and parenting young children and striving to excel in both worlds without one detracting from the other. And working out what balls to put down gently and purposefully, before they drop”
“One of the hardest things is being recognised for the full value you bring, especially in a profession that has traditionally rewarded loud voices over quiet impact and technical skill over emotional intelligence”
“One of the most difficult aspects of being a woman in the legal profession is navigating the balance between career progression and personal choices, specifically starting a family. Traits deemed decisive, logical and capable in male colleagues are too often interpreted negatively in women”
“It’s the constant balancing act and the loneliness that can come with it. Being assertive without being labelled aggressive. Leading firmly without being called difficult. Carrying the emotional weight of the team while pretending it doesn’t weigh you down”
“The most difficult thing about being a woman in the legal profession remains, unfortunately, the glass ceiling. Statistics continually show that women are briefed less often and for lesser fees than men at the Bar”
TC Beirne School of Law’s Bartlett says that systemic reform remains essential. “Across the board, there need to be structures in workplaces that properly take account of all the ‘care’ work done both at home and at work,” she says. “At work, women are often expected to undertake support roles; they are the ones asked to do things beyond their roles. We should not be focusing on programs telling women how to say no but considering why we always ask women to do these things and how this load can be more equitably shared.”
For Mahlab’s Gazis, the priority now is to ensure women have the structures and support to progress once they enter the profession. She points to the need for tailored development pathways, from leadership courses to programs that help lawyers continue building skills while on parental leave.
“It’s all about trying to improve and hone the policies and processes and make them resonate with the needs of what women need to continue to stay with the firm, so the firms don’t lose talent and can help continue building their careers and progressing,” she says.
For Wong and Chan, improved transparency is required to make the invisible visible because subtle bias often hides in everyday decisions.
“Firms need to track these patterns,” Wong says. “Data transparency around work allocation, promotion rates and leadership appointments can reveal disparities that aren’t obvious on the surface.”
To highlight the breadth of achievement across this year’s cohort, AL and NZL asked four winners to reflect on the same question: as a leader in the legal profession and an Elite Woman 2025, what changes do you believe are most needed to create meaningful opportunities for the next generation of women lawyers?
Their spotlights capture the calibre of leadership across the 70 honourees, while offering distinct perspectives on how the profession can evolve.
Nicole Evans has built Barker Evans into a Sydney practice known for its work with LGBTQIA+ clients and victims of domestic violence. As managing director, she has led landmark cases involving same-sex parenting and donor rights, areas that test the edges of family law and often leave families without precedent to follow.
She has also acted in matters where family and criminal law intersect, developing what she calls a “one-stop shop” for clients facing overlapping crises.
Her authorship of Lesbians and the Law (2017), Australia’s only same-sex family law guidebook, positioned her early as a national voice. That presence has only grown through regular commentary, including:
ABC’s 7.30 Report
SBS
The Australian
podcasts such as Just Chat and Lawfully Explained
Law Society Journal of NSW, which ran a 2024 feature on her titled Breaking Barriers
She has also contributed to platforms outside the profession, including major media, reflecting her commitment to public education.
Evans’ advocacy extends to Rainbow Families Australia and community groups such as Eastern Suburbs Mums. She is particularly recognised for representing women in same-sex parenting disputes about primary attachment figures involving non-biological and biological mothers and parenting arrangements where known donors are involved and there are more than three or four parents, an area where her expertise provides both legal protection and reassurance.
For Evans, progress in the profession must come through structural change. “We need to move beyond tokenism and focus on building environments where women are not only present but supported to thrive,” she says.
That means tackling persistent barriers around work-life balance, dismantling stigma around flexible work and embedding mentoring and sponsorship so women don’t just enter the profession but actually rise into positions of influence.
She also argues for a broader definition of leadership, one that recognises advocacy, community service and innovation as much as technical achievement. “A key part of my own work has been championing the visibility of same-sex families and advancing parenting rights and ensuring the law reflects and protects the diversity of modern Australian families.”
Her motivation is direct. She adds, “My biggest strength is the fact that I do not accept mediocrity nor unbalanced judgement. I support other women to be the best parent they can be and the best lawyer they can be. Women should not have to choose.”
Maria Clarke has been at the forefront of sports law for over 25 years, founding New Zealand’s first dedicated sports law firm in 2000.
Since then, she has become a trusted adviser to hundreds of sports organisations across 50 different sports and numerous elite athletes, while also leading reform projects for some of the most powerful organisations in global sport, from World Athletics to the International Olympic Committee and the World Anti-Doping Agency.
Her work spans highly sensitive issues, including doping and corruption crises, eligibility rules for transgender athletes, sexual abuse investigations and the governance of top sports officials.
Domestically, Clarke led the review that created the New Zealand Sports Tribunal in 2003, a model now recognised worldwide, and contributed to establishing the new Sports Integrity Commission with its first national Integrity Code.
Clarke’s influence spans reform in sports integrity and governance, including:
equal pay disputes, athlete wellbeing reviews and governance reforms for national and international sports bodies
deputy chair of Paralympics New Zealand
former board member of the NZ Olympic Committee and current member of its Integrity Committee
member of the UCI (International Cycling) Integrity Commission
contributor to international anti-corruption task forces
co-founder of the New Zealand Representatives in Sport Network, strengthening Kiwi voices at global decision-making tables
Mentorship has been a constant, as several female lawyers who began their careers in her firm have gone on to become leaders in the sector, and she continues to mentor former elite athletes transitioning into law.
For Clarke, she sees challenges in how the profession measures success. “It shouldn’t be measured solely by winning cases, advising on big deals, titles or profit, but by contribution, authenticity and impact,” she says.
She argues that the stories of women thriving across diverse areas of law, from sole practitioners to governance leaders, need to be more visible so young lawyers understand “there is no single path to practising the law, and that it can be a very satisfying career which they can navigate to find their place.”
That visibility, she believes, must be matched by cultural reform. “Firm cultures driven solely by hierarchy and profit have masked poor behaviour and created unsafe, high-pressure environments which must change.”
In her view, shifting this dynamic is essential not only to protect women but also to ensure the profession prioritises wellbeing, nurtures talent and defines success by the difference lawyers make.
As Clarke reflects, “Although I have paved my own way and am proud of what I have achieved, there have been many occasions where I have been better qualified or experienced, yet work or a role has gone to a less qualified male.”
The 2025 Elite Women list shows how influence is built over time, with recognition tied to both technical skill and the ability to lead with empathy, resilience and visibility.
Firms and institutions have made measurable progress on such elements as parity programs, charter adoption and narrowing pay gaps, but advancement still slows at the most senior ranks.
Clients, stakeholders and recruits are increasingly demanding equity in leadership; the firms that respond will be the ones that retain top talent and credibility
For the profession, sustainable leadership structures, genuine flexibility and recognition of care responsibilities are strategic imperatives.
In June, Australasian Lawyer and NZ Lawyer invited legal professionals from across Australia and New Zealand to nominate outstanding female leaders for the fifth annual Elite Women list. Nominees were required to be working in a role connected to the legal profession, demonstrate a passion for the law through their influence on the profession, and not have been previously recognised on the Elite Women list.
Nominators were asked to provide detailed information about their nominee’s accomplishments and initiatives over the past 12 months, including specific examples of professional achievements and contributions to the legal industry.
To determine the final list of 70 Elite Women, the editorial teams at AL and NZL carefully reviewed all nominations, assessing each nominee’s meaningful impact on the legal profession.
