Paul Hastings Encourages the Advancement of Women Lawyers

April 07, 2014

Paris, France – On 2 April 2014, the French Women’s Interest Group (WIG), a subsidiary of the International Bar Association chaired by Paul Hastings partner Aline Poncelet, hosted a dinner at the Maison des Polytechniciens. The guest speaker was Chloé Jay, Managing Director of the renowned Parisian jeweller Van Cleef & Arpels France.

Ms. Jay discussed both her own background and her 10 years in the cosmetics industry, including her experiences working with the “Mains d’Or”, the inspirational artisans of the house of Van Cleef & Arpels. In October 2012, Ms. Jay was named by the women’s Forum as one of the “17 Rising Talents under 40”.

The WIG hosts several similar dinners throughout the year and has done since 1998, enabling female lawyers, both in-house and in private practice, to network with each other and guests from outside the legal profession. The events regularly attract more than 50 attendees, rising to more than 120 guests in March 2014 when the WIG dinner was held on International Women’s Day and jointly hosted by the French Association of Women Lawyers.

Previous guest speakers have included some of the most high profile women in France, including Supreme Court judges, senior managers of independent authorities, politicians, and Managing Directors and General Counsels of major international corporations.

“These dinners are hugely successful because of their intimate atmosphere, which gives the speakers and guests the opportunity to network and freely discuss important topics,” says Alice Poncelet. “The aim is to meet and learn from female role models, and meet with other successful women from many different professional and personal backgrounds.”

Paul Hastings has been focused on discussing and promoting the achievements of female lawyers, and in advocating the advancement of women in business more generally. In September 2013 we released the 3rd edition of our report “Breaking The Glass Ceiling: Women in the Boardroom”. The report discusses efforts by corporations and governments around the globe to increase the number of women on corporate boards.

The 2013 edition of the report examines the legislative, regulatory, and private sector developments and trends of female representation on corporate boards in 35 countries. The latest report also provides updates on notable developments over the past 12 months and a chart of corporate governance codes for the countries surveyed. Please visit our new, interactive website for the full report, as well as video interviews of those leading the way on the issue.

http://www.paulhastings.com/Resources/Upload/Publications/Gender_Parity_Report.pdf

In the context of Paul Hastings' constant efforts to promote the achievements of female lawyers, Paul Hastings will participate in the 6th World Women Lawyers’ Conference organised by the International Bar Association which will be held on May 8-9, 2014 in Paris.

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