Law must do more to accommodate women: ANU Judge-in-Residence »

The legal industry needs to change in order to stop losing talented women, according to Justice Rachel Pepper, Judge-in-Residence at The ANU. Justice Pepper, of the NSW Land and Environment Court, said employers need to do more to provide working conditions that help retain female staff. "The reality is that in the early years it's women who bear the brunt of raising children," Justice Pepper said. "They need to be away from their jobs, require flexible working conditions and still today, regrettably, not all of those are on offer if you are employed as a practicing lawyer. "There need to be more part-time jobs and employers need to make sure that opportunities for advancement and flexible working arrangements are available." Justice Pepper said the demanding nature of legal work makes it hard for women to balance a career with family. "It would be completely naive to say that there are no additional pressures facing women in law," she said. "Law demands long working hours, it just does.