Law Society virtue signalling

[MissBeehiving]

The Law Society awards are open for nomination at the moment and depressingly, the “Woman Lawyer of the Year” is now open to anyone identifying as a woman. So the award designed to celebrate the achievement of women in the legal profession, is now fair game for men.

www.lawsociety.org.uk/events/excellence-awards/categories-and-criteria/

looking forwards to the change in the law and pre-empting that

I love looking forward to changes in the law. I believe that in the future all property will be regarded as theft so I've appropriate my neighbour's new 60" 4G TV and left her a note welcoming her to the future.

There is real problem in the legal profession retaining women, and in getting women to more senior positions. This is in no small part because the profession is no family friendly, the burden of which falls primarily on biological women because they give birth and take maternity leave. Presumably this is in no small part why there is a woman solicitor award.

Very disappointed you don’t seem to acknowledge or care about this issue Jon.

No. I know you don't, and that's the shame of it.

If I were a lawyer and I realised my cross dressing colleague who never had to take maternity leave won the award even though he was only a woman on Fridays I'd be livid.

Jon66 That’s great for you, but what do you mean? What is your point?

Jon, I am a female solicitor- it is a really tough profession for women to be in, once they have a family. I am currently struggling with balancing career and family. If a man wins this award because he “feels” like a woman,I will be beyond cheesed off- not least because I will be highly sceptical that he has done very much at all to help ‘other’ women-the criteria upon which the award will be judged. For Pete’s sake- it’s an award for women- there are enough of us in the profession that they should be able to find one. This virtue signalling is a slap in the face to all women.

Any female solicitor, and yes I am one, recognises that many talented and able female solicitors are no longer able to pursue their careers post children because of the poor work life balance and taking the bulk of responsibility for childcare. That is based purely on biology.

This award was one way of showing to women in the profession that actually, despite having the biological odds stacked against you can be professionally successful.

Just showed this to my lawyer husband and he doesn't think it will go down well! In his words "lawyers are a litigious bunch" 🙂 it could get interesting if lawyers start arguing about the legal definition of a woman.

And for the record the comparison with gay rights is flawed. Can you imagine the outrage in the gay community if an award for best gay solicitor went to a straight bloke

Oh PLEASE let someone do this!

Men can identify as a women when it suits them, (and live as a man), why not identify as gay, and still be hetrosexual?

After all, language, and the precise meaning of words is open to any interpretation.

"Identifying" rules!!

This seems like the perfect opportunity to try out an issue raised on another thread. I am presuming from your username Jon that you self-identify as a man. In virtue of what features about yourself do you see yourself as a man, seeing as how biology is now irrelevant and it's all about internal feelings of masculinity?

I agree that it's probably going to wake up a few legal women to the unfairness of the situation if it is won by a Phil Bunce type. I don't think that in itself is a bad thing.

The irony of the Law Society acting to be ‘ahead’ of the law.
But looking to the positives... Does this mean I can now identify as a solicitor and enter myself?
I mean I know it’s a long shot to win seeing as how I am a boring old ‘actual woman’ and all. But I do stuff to help other women and I am good at my job so once I identify as a solicitor i’m at least In with a chance right?

It doesn't directly affect you unless you are a female solicitor. Are you?

I am a female solicitor and I think that opening up this award to those who have benefited from male privilege makes it rather pointless.

I am someone who has given up a high-pressured career in London to pursue a less prestigious career in the regions in order to have a better family life. I can attest to the fact that it is not easy to pursue a legal career as a woman.

I hope that someone born a woman, and who has faced all the usual discrimination rooted in biological sex, wins this. Whilst transwomen may have their own struggles for acceptance, they are fundamentally different from those that women face.

Well a quick google brought up these lot

www.awsmanchester.org.uk
awslondon.co.uk. (and regional branches)
www.aawl.org.uk
thecircle.ngo/circle/thelawyerscircle/

And the law society itself has a section for women apparently:

www.lawsociety.org.uk/support-services/practice-management/diversity-inclusion/women-lawyers-division/

I wonder what they think about this?

Jon66, the issue here is that cross-dressers and transvestites are now allowed to self-identify as transgender and many of them do so alongside people who actually have gender dysphoria.

I've read things written by people who meet the standard definition of the word "man" and who live as men almost full time and are therefore treated by the world around them as men (with all the privilege that entails) but who do a bit of cross dressing in their rooms at the weekend, and who then claim transgender status on the basis that they feel compelled to do this and therefore consider some part of their brain/soul to be female.

Do you get why women are angry that men like this, who have gone through, are going through and will continue to go through life with every aspect of male privilege, should be allowed to call themselves women on the basis of wearing frilly bras and nickers in their own room at the weekends and therefore benefit from the special arrangements made for women for the purposes of trying to make up for the lack of male privilege women who actually meet the definition of the word woman experience?

I'm a female solicitor (I really am), this just beggars belief. What an absolute joke.

It doesn't directly affect you unless you are a female solicitor. Are you?

Yes.

There are quite a lot of us on this thread, it seems, and I agree with them all.

The comparison with racism is ludicrous. The more appropriate comparison would be if an organisation offering a scholarship or award that's for people of ethnic minorities allowed white people to identify as a person of colour.

I am a female solicitor, and now I am a mother who wants a family friendly role, my career opportunities are limited. My career horizons are affected in large part because I am a biological female. I am not impressed that the Law Society are taking this approach, it makes a mockery of the reasons woman of the female sex (I can scarcely believe that is a necessary clarification!) have difficulty getting to senior levels of the profession in any numbers and why those that do still have difficulties. If I wanted a highly successful role in many parts of the profession I would have to put my career before my family.

The comparison with racism is ludicrous. The more appropriate comparison would be if an organisation offering a scholarship or award that's for people of ethnic minorities allowed white people to identify as a person of colour.

Agree entirely

DH is a male solicitor ( AFAIK, I haven't asked how he identifies today). Is it worth him writing a letter/email to complain about this? He would for sure.

I'm a female solicitor (I'm not eligible for the award sadly as I left the profession after children!!) and it's ridiculous. I'll be contacting the Law Society to complain.

As son as you see the words diversity and inclusion you know they will be following the Stonewall doctrines and acting in the same ways. Any man that says he feels womanly ever or even fluidy can get a prize.

If the Law Society are spouting this twaddle it could be a very interesting conversation with your husband.

It makes it sound really tokenist. I've not been a fan of women's this that and the other in the past and avoided the women's sections of any political party I've been in and hated women only lists whilst accepting grudgingly that they did lead to more women in positions of power.
The only area I really support women's stuff is women's sport due to the biological differences and that is already being taken over by transwomen who obviously have an advantage by their male physiology. Do we just have to strive to be the "best" lawyer and sod the tokenism?
My cycle club still has no transexuals in it so women's trophies are still XX reserved.
It does seem like a male ploy to get rid of women only stuff by infiltrating it.

They will give a man an award, wait and see. Here is the man that got the woman in finance awards.

He thinks women that don't believe he is a woman part time will never amount to anything anyway.

twitter.com/PippaBunce/status/949597497147691008
Pippa Bunce
Head of Global Markets Technology Core Engineering Integrations Components
Credit Suisse
Pips took the conscious decision to be ‘out’ at work as gender fluid to embrace and advocate the importance of authenticity as well as to shine a light on the power and diversity of women in the workplace. Multiple aspects of our identity, including gender identity/expression, ethnicity, age, sexual orientation, disability and religion influence our experiences at work. Our sex or gender may be the same, but our identities, our successes and our struggles are different and it is for this reason why Pips is proud to be a female champion in business. She is a member of the European Women’s Network/IT Women’s Council and had many external publications relating to gender equality published. Additionally, she has been integral in providing reverse mentoring to management board members of the firm and is co-lead of the LGBT & Ally program at Credit Suisse where she places much importance on intersectionality and how the voices of all types of women and our allies need to be heard to drive forward gender equality – our differences make us stronger and diversity should be celebrated, not tolerated. Pips is also a regular panellist/speaker on gender equality, and often interviewed by external publications on the topic.