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Legal shake-up for women’s rights WOMEN’S roles
within the English legal system are set for a shake up as the first Irish
woman to lead female solicitors plans to tackle equality, equal pay and
education problems in the profession.
Offaly-born Fiona Fitzgerald has been working as a solicitor in London
since 1998 and was recently announced as the chairwoman of the long-established
Association of Women Solicitors.
The 35-year-old from Birr, is delighted with her new role and said: “I
have been with the association for about nine years now and I’m
very excited about taking up the role of chairwoman.
“I always found my membership to the association very helpful, particularly
when I was new in London; it helped me to network with others like myself.
“But we do a lot of things, we offer support and mentoring and we
often consult with Government on things like equal pay and discrimination
— which I’m now going to do a lot more.
“I also want to start talking to people in schools, to encourage
young women to become solicitors and to strive for the higher echelons
of the career — like being judges or partners, roles where women
are under-represented.”
Fiona, who now lives in Chiswick with her husband and two children, left
her hometown — where her parents still live — aged 18 but
returns regularly.
She said: “I left Ireland to pursue my education; I wanted to study
Law with French, an option which was not offered there at the time.
“It gives me great pleasure to take up this role, particularly as
it shows that Irish women can succeed in the English legal system.”
The determined solicitor is a partner at Colemans-ctts and works in their
legal expenses and personal injury division in Kingston-upon-Thames.
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