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Women have outnumbered men in law schools nationwide for decades, but in 2024, men continue to dominate the legal sector’s leadership positions. That’s despite the sector seeing significant changes in how legal work is carried out, including remote work, evolving tech and artificial intelligence and the move to outsourcing. However, some significant changes have occurred in firms adopting more family-friendly policies, such as gender-neutral paid parental leave and more flexible career options. This sector is also one where the COVID-19 pandemic rapidly bolstered the push to remote work. Back in 2015, one analysis by found that more women than men were leaving the industry within five years of starting. It also revealed that the number of women practising as lawyers dropped by around 75 per cent once they reached 35 to 55. Today, data shows that women make up in Australia. A survey by the Australian Financial Review reveals that women make up more than at 13 of the biggest law firms in Australia. But at the top 50 firms, of the partner cohort are women. Meanwhile, 34 of the 69 legal workplaces that report to the Workplace Gender Equality Agency have a gender pay gap larger than the national average of 21.7 per cent recorded in the 2022-23 period. The College of Law Australian Legal Survey 2024 recently reported a gender pay gap across all levels from graduate to principal/partner. The NSW Annual Profile of Solicitors has also reported a gender pay gap across all age groups and all practice sectors, including those more likely to be dominated by women. At the bar, challenges remain for women, who are underrepresented across every state and territory in Australia, making up just 23 per cent of barristers in NSW and a tiny 18 per cent in Tasmania. These figures drop below when it comes to identifying the proportion of senior counsel, for example, from 31 per cent of barristers in Victoria to just 20 per cent of SCs. So, what will make the difference? Many intertwining factors have seen some progress. Ultimately, it comes down to leadership, according to Emma Walsh, founder of Parents at Work and Family Friendly Workplaces. Especially leadership on culture, a commitment to targets, as well as adopting – and actively demonstrating and supporting – family friendly policies, and cross all things that go into supporting the health and wellbeing of team members and their families. explored how the legal sector is faring for the , in partnership with Parents At Work and Family Friendly Workplaces. Below, we share more on what was covered. For Alison Deitz, Chief Executive Partner of law firm Norton Rose Fulbright, flexible leave was a key part of her career journey in the legal sector. She was one of the first partners in the firm to take parental leave – now almost 20 years ago. She was also one of the first to return while still breastfeeding – and recalls those early days when she spent so much time using a manual pump to express milk during the workday that she suffered RSI in her right hand. Ever since, she’s seen some dramatic shifts in how we work, including the opportunities that blackberries, and later iPhones, provided for supporting clients outside of the office. “I didn’t even have an iPhone in those days, but I had a device and I remember that device was a game changer because it allowed me to be out of the office but still in contact,” says Deitz, adding that “technology has been an enabler” and “gamechanger” for flexible work options. “We’ve also seen more women who work flexibly, taking positions as general counsel, in-house counsel, etc.”, says Deitz. “It’s very important for our clients to see us being able to work in a flexible way and to promote men and women equally through our leadership pipeline.” While the legal profession was once a notoriously inflexible space– pushing many talented women out of the industry once they’d started families– much change has been made. This freedom and flexibility is something that Silje Andersen–Cooke, director of the Australian Multiple Birth Association, says she would have valued immensely when she first started out. When Silje became pregnant for the second time, she’d already taken a break from her career in law. And while she and her partner were trying to have a second baby, it surprised them to find out she was pregnant with triplets. “It’s a confronting experience, and definitely one of those thoughts is, ‘is this going to torpedo my whole career as well?’,” she says, adding, “I really enjoyed work. I love being a lawyer. It’s such a big part of my identity and who I am as a person.” Silje has since found a way to juggle four children and her family with a career in law and running a support organisation for parents having multiple births at one time. Her employer, Maddocks, has played an important role in empowering her to follow all her passions while raising kids. “Most law firms have come a long way in terms of culture,” she says, noting that through her experience, she feels “having a supportive team and manager is critical”. “It’s so important to acknowledge that being a parent is as valuable a role as your role at work,” says Silje. “I think when law firms acknowledge that, it makes you feel like you can bring your whole self to work.” Demographic shifts in the legal sector have changed what people expect from their employers. Law firms rapidly adopted competitive parental leave options to keep up with the growing numbers of women entering the profession, which – for at least some in the sector – have evolved to ensure all new parents can access such options. But there have also been shifting expectations around what younger generations expect from firms. “The younger generation of employees coming through are expecting greater family-friendly provisions than the generation before them, and there still is a competitive war for talent on the best candidates,” says Emma Walsh. “The reality is we’re having fewer babies. So every year, unless we suddenly have a big migration intake, there are fewer candidates that employers will be able to choose from.” She says legal workplaces are increasingly becoming more family friendly, but there’s still work to do. When it comes to remote hybrid work to support employees with caring responsibilities, Walsh says “there has been a lot of gains made from flexible work with COVID, particularly in the legal sector– suddenly there was a court available online.” And with the introduction of AI to the legal sector, Walsh says this new technology is playing a role in giving flexibility back to workers. She points out that AI is “proving that [work] can be done more efficiently, giving power back to employees, [and the] ability to have more autonomous decision making around how they use their time and where they spend their time to get that work done.” “Flexible work is the first greatest lever around being able to drive less work-life conflict for people,” Walsh says. “The second one is actually about leadership culture and how a leader will allow an individual to avail themselves of family-friendly provisions without that having a negative impact, and we still see that that’s low.”
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Texas, Arizona State to meet in CFP clash of old vs. new Big 12 champsMontgomery shot 6 for 10 (6 for 9 from 3-point range) and 3 of 4 from the free-throw line for the Golden Eagles (4-4). Denijay Harris scored 20 points and added 20 rebounds. Neftali Alvarez shot 4 of 6 from the field and 3 of 4 from the free-throw line to finish with 13 points, while adding six rebounds. The Hornets (3-6) were led in scoring by CJ Hines, who finished with 18 points. Amarr Knox and Shawn Fulcher each had 11 points. The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar .
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NEW YORK (AP) — A number of President-elect Donald Trump 's most prominent Cabinet picks and appointees have been targeted by bomb threats and “swatting attacks," Trump's transition team said Wednesday. The FBI said it was investigating. “Last night and this morning, several of President Trump’s Cabinet nominees and Administration appointees were targeted in violent, unAmerican threats to their lives and those who live with them," Trump transition spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said in a statement. She said the attacks ranged from bomb threats to swatting, in which attackers initiate an emergency law enforcement response against a target victim under false pretenses. The tactic has become a popular one in recent years. Leavitt said law enforcement and other authorities acted quickly to ensure the safety of those who were targeted and Trump and his transition team are grateful. Among those targeted were New York Rep. Elise Stefanik, Trump’s pick to serve as the next ambassador to the United Nations ; Matt Gaetz, Trump’s initial pick to serve as attorney general ; and former New York congressman Lee Zeldin, who has been tapped to lead the Environmental Protection Agency. Law enforcement officials are also looking into whether Susie Wiles, Trump’s incoming chief of staff, and Pam Bondi, the former Florida attorney general whom Trump has chosen as Gaetz’s replacement, and other incoming administration officials were also victims — as well as how each was targeted, according to a law enforcement official who spoke on condition of anonymity as the investigation continues. Wiles and Bondi did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The FBI said in a statement that it was “aware of numerous bomb threats and swatting incidents targeting incoming administration nominees and appointees" and was investigating with its law enforcement partners. The FBI added: "We take all potential threats seriously, and as always, encourage members of the public to immediately report anything they consider suspicious to law enforcement.” White House spokesperson Saloni Sharma said President Joe Biden had been briefed and the White House is in touch with federal law enforcement and Trump's transition team. Biden “continues to monitor the situation closely," Sharma said, adding the president and his administration “condemn threats of political violence.” Stefanik's office said that, on Wednesday morning, she, her husband, and their 3-year-old son were driving home from Washington for Thanksgiving when they were informed of a bomb threat to their residence in Saratoga County. Her office said “New York State, County law enforcement, and U.S. Capitol Police responded immediately with the highest levels of professionalism.” The New York State Police said a team was dispatched to sweep Stefanik’s home on Wednesday morning in response to the bomb threat but did not locate any explosive devices. The agency directed further questions to the FBI. Zeldin said in a social media post that he and his family had been threatened. “A pipe bomb threat targeting me and my family at our home today was sent in with a pro-Palestinian themed message,” he wrote on X . “My family and I were not home at the time and are safe. We are working with law enforcement to learn more as this situation develops.” Police in Suffolk County, Long Island, said emergency officers responded to a bomb threat Wednesday morning at an address listed in public records as Zeldin’s home and were checking the property. In Florida, the Okaloosa County sheriff’s office said on Facebook that it “received notification of a bomb threat referencing former Congressman Matt Gaetz’s supposed mailbox at a home in the Niceville area" around 9 a.m. Wednesday. While a family member resides at the address, the office said, Gaetz “is NOT a resident.” No threatening devices were found. Gaetz was Trump’s initial pick to serve as attorney general, but he withdrew from consideration after allegations that he paid women for sex and slept with underage women. Gaetz has vehemently denied any wrongdoing and said last year that a Justice Department investigation into sex trafficking allegations involving underage girls had ended with no federal charges against him. The threats follow a political campaign marked by disturbing and unprecedented violence. In July, a gunman opened fire at a Trump rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, grazing the then-candidate in the ear with a bullet and killing one of his supporters. The Secret Service later thwarted a subsequent assassination attempt at Trump's West Palm Beach, Florida, golf course when an agent spotted the barrel of a gun poking through a perimeter fence while Trump was golfing. Trump was also the subject of an Iranian murder-for-hire plot , with a man saying he had been tasked with planning the assassination of the Republican president-elect. Also this week, authorities arrested a man they say posted videos on social media threatening to kill Trump, according to court documents. In one video posted on Nov. 13, Manuel Tamayo-Torres threatened to shoot the former president while holding what appeared to be an AR-15 style rifle, authorities said Among the other videos he posted was one from an arena in Glendale, Arizona on Aug. 23, the same day Trump held a campaign rally there, according to court papers. An attorney for Tamayo-Torres did not immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday. Public figures across the political spectrum have been targeted in recent years by hoax bomb threats and false reports of shootings at their homes. About a year ago the FBI responded to an uptick in such incidents at the homes of public officials, state capitols and courthouses across the country around the holidays. Many were locked down and evacuated in early January after receiving bomb threats. No explosives were found and no one was hurt. Some of those targeted last year were Georgia Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu and Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost. In Wu’s case, a male caller told police he had shot his own wife and tied another man up. When police and EMT responders arrived at the address given by the caller, they quickly realized it was the Boston mayor’s home. Wu, a Democrat, has also been targeted by many swatting calls since she took office in 2021. The judges overseeing the civil fraud case against Trump in New York and the criminal election interference case against him in Washington were both targeted earlier this year. Justice Department special counsel Jack Smith, who recently abandoned the two criminal cases he brought against Trump, was also the subject of a fake emergency call on Christmas Day last year. Earlier this year, schools, government buildings and the homes of city officials in Springfield, Ohio, received a string of hoax bomb threats after Trump falsely accused members of Springfield’s Haitian community of abducting and eating cats and dogs. And in 2022, a slew of historically Black colleges and universities nationwide were targeted with dozens of bomb threats, with the vast majority arriving during the celebration of Black History Month. The U.S. Capitol Police said in a statement Wednesday that anytime a member of Congress is the victim of a swatting' incident, “we work closely with our local and federal law enforcement partners.” The force declined to provide further details, in part to “minimize the risk of copy-cats.” Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson called the threats “dangerous and unhinged.” “This year, there was not just one but TWO assassination attempts on President Trump," he wrote on X . “Now some of his Cabinet nominees and their families are facing bomb threats.” He added: “It is not who we are in America.” ___ Richer reported from Washington. Associated Press writers Colleen Long and Eric Tucker in Washington, Scott Bauer in Madison, Wisconsin, and Anthony Izaguirre in Albany, New York, contributed to this report.Key details to know about the arrest of a suspect in the killing of UnitedHealthcare's CEO
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TEHRAN- Iran’s Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance has announced that, contrary to published reports, the TRT Persian channel does not possess an operating license. In a statement published on Monday, the ministry clarified its position regarding a recent newspaper article that discussed the issuance of an operating license for the Persian section of Turkey's TRT television network. The ministry asserted that it has not granted any such license, and the claims regarding authorized activities by this network are inaccurate. In October, remarks made by Mehmet Zahid Sobaci, the General Director of Turkey's state broadcaster TRT, sparked controversy. He stated, "We are in a state of confusion and discomfort for Iran. We must do this," while announcing plans to launch a Persian-language channel as part of TRT's expansion into 41 foreign languages by year's end. These comments raised concerns among the Iranian public. In response, Iranian Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance Seyyed Abbas Salehi communicated with Turkish officials to express apprehensions regarding Sobaci's statements. He urged that "such statements should be avoided," highlighting the need for unity among Muslim nations amidst regional tensions and the growing aggression of the Zionist regime. Salehi welcomed Turkey's commitment to enhancing cultural relations, emphasizing that "the Islamic Republic of Iran's fundamental foreign policy principle is to strengthen ties with its neighbors, with Turkey occupying a significant position." He pointed to the robust political and cultural connections between the two countries and the opportunities for collaboration in the designated Year of Iranian-Turkish Culture. Describing culture as a vital foundation for cooperation, Salehi insisted that both nations should leverage their shared cultural resources. He acknowledged recent initiatives in media collaboration, asserting Iran's readiness to bolster these ties in a manner that aligns with the interests of both countries. During this dialogue, Fahrettin Altun, Director of Communications for Turkey's Presidency, reiterated Turkey's dedication to strengthening political and cultural relationships with Iran. He noted the importance of fostering communication and mutual understanding between the two nations and referred to a recent meeting between the two presidents that emphasized expanding cooperation across all sectors. Altun expressed regret over Sobaci's comments, clarifying that "any statement contradicting this has no connection with the thinking and approach of the Turkish President and government." He reaffirmed Turkey's commitment to friendship and cooperation with Iran, underscoring that challenges can be addressed through dialogue. The conversation concluded with a mutual commitment to ongoing cooperation while being mindful of media narratives and public sentiment. SAB/
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The U.S. Congressional Budget Office released its monthly budget review on Monday, which showed that in the first two months of this fiscal year, the federal government has run up a deficit of $622 billion. “That amount is $242 billion more than the deficit recorded during the same period last fiscal year,” CBO said in its report . That figure means the deficit is nearly 40% higher than this time last year. “The most alarming turkey in November was the federal government’s inability to live within its means,” Maya MacGuineas, president of the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, said in a statement. “We are only two months into the fiscal year, and we have already borrowed a staggering $622 billion, with $365 billion in the month of November alone." Deficits never surpassed one trillion dollars before the COVID-19 pandemic. Since then, they remain well above one trillion and for this next fiscal year are well beyond the pace to surpass $1 trillion. The deficit last fiscal year was about $1.8 trillion. Billionaire Elon Musk, now an advisor to President-elect Donald Trump, lamented the debt, which is about $36 trillion, on X Monday. “If we don’t fix the deficit, everything will suffer, including essential spending like DoD, Medicare & Social Security,” Musk said. “It’s not optional.” CBO did explain that some of the increase is from accounting changes. From CBO: The change in the deficit was influenced by the timing of outlays and revenues alike. Outlays in October 2023 were reduced by shifts in the timing of certain federal payments that otherwise would have been due on October 1, 2023, which fell on a Sunday. (Those payments were made in September 2023.) Outlays in November 2024 were boosted by the shift to that month of payments due December 1, 2024, a Saturday. If not for those shifts, the deficit thus far in fiscal year 2025 would have been $541 billion, or $88 billion more than the shortfall at this point last year, and outlays would have been $38 billion more.”January in the Garden for Central Florida