Women Lawyers' Interest Group

Overview
Constituent Officers
Constituent Conferences
Constituent Projects
Members

Overview

The Women Lawyers' Interest Group of the International Bar Association offers a forum for women members from Australia to Zambia to discuss topics of global significance to women practitioners. The Group was introduced as an IBA constituent in 1996 by Dianna Kempe Q.C. in order to allow efficient global networking of women lawyers.

Liaison and discussions take place at IBA conferences, at IBA World Women Lawyers’ Conferences, by newsletter or through contact with fellow members listed in the Group's Directory. Apart from fostering women lawyers’ business potentials, the Group is also aims to provide informal advice and assistance in areas of interest. Moreover, many of the countries in the IBA have a WIG Country Representative who organizes programmes and events according to the local needs of each country.

All IBA members, both male and female, are encouraged to participate in the Women Lawyers' Interest Group's activities.

Constituent Officers

Please click here for a list of Women Lawyers' Interest Group Officers.

In 2008 WIG will participate in the following conference:

IBA Annual Conference
Buenos Aires, Argentina
12 - 17 October 2008

The next IBA World Women Lawyers’ Conference will take place in 2009.

Click here to download the Report from the World Women Lawyer's Conference held in June 2006

Constituent Projects

‘Outstanding World Women Lawyer’ Award

Each IBA World Women Lawyers’ Conference is presenting the ‘Outstanding World Women Lawyer’ award. This prestigious award, sponsored by Lexis Nexis, was first made at the inaugural IBA World Women Lawyers’ Conference in 2001. It is an acknowledgment of women who have made notable achievement in terms of the legal profession or the field of human rights, and who have contributed to the advancement of gender issues and women’s rights and assisted disadvantaged women.

At the last IBA World Women Lawyers’ Conference in June 2006 the award was presented to Dianna Kempe. An Insolvency practitioner, Dianna Kempe was Senior Partner of Appleby Spurling & Kempe, a Bermuda law firm with offices in London and Hong Kong. She was the first woman to be appointed Queen’s Counsel in Bermuda, and the first woman to be elected President of the International Bar Association. She is also a Patron of the Association of Women Solicitors.

If you know a woman who you believe should be nominated for this award, please send her contact details to Susan Abro The committee will then communicate directly with the nominee and obtain her details.

Susan Abro can be contacted at susan@susanabro.com
Telephone (daytime in South Africa) - +27313126227
Telefax - +27313125209

We welcome input from all of the members of the profession, male and female - men are welcome to attend the conference.

Women’s rights are human rights - please take the time to nominate someone who deserves this honour.

Members

Click here to access the IBA Member's Directory.