‘Work/life balance’ emerged as the catchcry of the late 20th century and was supplemented by the discourses of ‘wellness’ and ‘happiness’ in the 21st century. This joint presentation will compare and contrast contemporary approaches to work/life balance in the context of UK and Australian law firms. The presentation will examine the tension between the concept and the increased focus on competition. The presentation will consider the implications of rethinking work/life balance and wellbeing in the law for understanding the specific contexts in which professional legal ethics operate and for ideas of legal professionalism itself. The presentation will draw on interviews with lawyers and legal professionals conducted by the presenters in the UK and Australia.

Richard Collier is Professor of Law & Social Theory at Newcastle University, UK. He has published widely in the area of law and gender, with a particular focus on issues surrounding men and masculinities, and his books include: Men, Law and Gender: Essays on the ‘Man’ of Law (Routledge, 2010), Fragmenting Fatherhood: A Socio-Legal Study (with Sally Sheldon, Hart, 2008), Masculinities, Crime and Criminology: Men, Corporeality and the Criminal(ised) Body (Sage, 1998), Masculinity, Law and the Family (Routledge, 1995) and Fathers’ Rights Activism and Law Reform in Comparative Perspective (edited with Sally Sheldon, Hart, 2007). He is presently conducting research projects on male lawyers, masculinities and work-life balance in law and wellbeing in the legal profession.

Margaret Thornton is Professor of Law and ANU Public Policy Fellow at The Australian National University. She has degrees from Sydney, UNSW and Yale, and is a Barrister of the Supreme Court of NSW and a Foundation Fellow and former Director of AAL. Her research interests include the legal profession, legal education, discrimination law and feminist legal theory. She has published extensively in these areas and her books include Privatising the Public University: The Case of Law (Routledge, 2012). Her present ARC-funded project is entitled ‘Balancing Law and Life’ and focuses on law firms.

Professor Collier is the International Partner on this project.

This seminar will be followed by drinks.

RSVP by Tuesday 17 November 2015: online, email or phone 02 6125 4124

This event may count as MCLE/CPD points.