4 JULY2022Editor NoteIndian Legal Firms More Gender Diverse than their International CounterpartsA country's legal system forms a critical piece of the puzzle in every modern day society. Much beyond the stereotypical notion of lawyers embroiled in litigation in court rooms, the legal profession today has evolved and move into swanky boardrooms. A major function of them has become about rendering sound advisory in all aspects ­ professional and personal.An extension of the legal consulting is Intellectual Property Rights, which incorporates trademarks, IP, copyright, and others in today's era IPR has become a significant tool across various industry sectors. Any innovation or invention runs the risk of getting infringed without the knowledge of the creator. In today's digital era such crimes that are done by infringing on an individual's IP rights has increased manifolds making IPR a sought after field in legal advisory. Business today depends heavily on protection of their patents, trademarks, and copyrights. It also allows clients to leverage IP and ensure that the goods/service purchase by them is authentic and secure. Well-crafted, strong Intellectual Property laws provide the requisite protection to IP and lend a helping hand in the growth of the economy of the respective state. A major chunk of legal advisory today specializes in and focuses on rendering top notch IPR advisory to companies, organizations and individuals alike. As fledging as the industry is, there exists a gender disparity in it too. The number of women foraying into the IPR consulting field has been increasing steadily yet, the representation of women in leadership positions in the top legal firms in India stays low. The case is similar across various industries and sectors. A survey concluded that on an average women have a 30 percentage representation in partnerships across 30 top Indian law firms. Of these 30 firms only 23 percent have a gender ratio above 40 percent in their senior management. As bleak as the numbers about the Indian legal advisory industry may seem, they stand ahead as compared to other Asian countries. Even economically strong nations such as Japan have a notoriously low representation of women in positions of leadership. The requirement for women's representation in every aspect of the legal framework has been talked about enough. It is about time that concrete steps are taken by firms and government bodies to ensure more well-deserving women candidates to reach the top ranks. Do tell us your thoughts. Rachita SharmaManaging Editor
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