Following the spread of the #MeToo movement to every industry around the globe, the Australian legal profession is taking a particular strong stand. The country’s defamation laws are notoriously difficult to pursue and are poorly equipped to handle a digital landscape. Solicitors and commentators alike have been quick to comment that these defamation laws are failing women who want to come forward.
Young lawyers have also been quick to point out that sexual harassment is prevalent in their own profession. In 2013, the Law Council of Australia’s National Attrition and Re-Engagement Survey found almost one in four female lawyers experienced sexual harassment. It has been working with the International Bar Association on a global survey of the legal profession to uncover the extent of sexual harassment. “We take it very, very seriously indeed. We are by no means in no state of denial. We recognise that we have a problem and there are many of us determined to stamp it out,” said Morry Bailes, the president of the council.