Chief Investigator, Professor Kim Rubenstein and TBWL Researcher/Coordinator Dr Nikki Henningham both participated in the Australian Women Lawyer’s Biennial conference held in Adelaide (3 -5 October 2014.)  Nikki was present on the Friday/Saturday and  met and talked with many of the attendees, and Kim attended on the Sunday and presented on the progress of the TBWL project.  They both received positive feedback from the attendees and further suggestions of potential interviewees!

A weekend of highlights included a welcome address delivered by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of South Australia, Chris Kourakis, calling for further action to support the promotion and advancement of women in the profession; a keynote address from Christine Nixon, former Victorian Police Commissioner and Chair of the Victorian Bushfire Reconstruction and Recovery Authority, who shared her experiences of challenging tradition and offered insights into being a successful woman in a traditionally male dominated profession and a presentation by Fiona McLeod SC, proposing ‘A New Kind of Normal’ for a transformed legal profession. The weather was perfect, the presentations were stimulating and the opportunities for networking were extremely valuable.

As a project partner, Australian Women Lawyers is assisting the academic researchers in contacting the potential interviewees and, on this occasion, also supported Nikki and Kim’s attendance the conference, which benefits the overall project immensely.