A call to #BreakTheBias in LegalTech

Celebrated globally on 8 March, International Women's Day (IWD) aims to highlight the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women everywhere in every walk of life. It was first honoured in Austria, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland on 19 March 1911 and while we’ve seen progress over the past century, there is still much work to be done. This includes the legal technology sector.

According to the Diversity in LegalTech – it’s time for action report commissioned by Women of Australian LegalTech (WALTA), female representation in the legal technology sector is low. In Australia, 21 per cent of LegalTech founders are women, while 19 per cent of Australia’s funded LegalTech companies have at least one female founder.

The women leaders of legal technology exist - sometimes you just have to dig a little harder to find them. The findings of this report lay down a challenge for us all to make that effort.

Podcast

Listen to this interesting podcast with Laura Keily, Immediation and Jodie Baker, Xakia Technologies, as they delve into their respective experiences as LegalTech entrepreneurs and the challenges they’ve both observed and felt.

#BreakTheBias today and everyday

This International Women’s Day, let’s #BreakTheBias and “imagine a gender equal world. A world free of bias, stereotypes and discrimination. A world that's diverse, equitable, and inclusive. A world where difference is valued and celebrated. Together we can forge women's equality. Collectively we can all #BreakTheBias.”

This year’s theme encourages us to take action, to challenge and stop gender stereotypes, discrimination and bias and break down the barriers that keep women from moving ahead.

At Xakia, we’re committed to a workplace where gender equality exists, and biases are broken. ‘Breaking the bias’ for us means providing equal opportunities and encouraging women (and our Xakiarian men) to grow, innovate and steer the ship of their LegalTech careers.

Our CEO, Jodie Baker’s objective is to build a workforce that is balanced, but also focused on increasing female representation in LegalTech.

"LegalTech is an exciting, growing area, and fundamentally changing the way lawyers work and interact with each other. To be part of a big structural shift in an industry is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and can be hugely rewarding. I want women to help shape this change to ensure that there is sufficient diversity in the industry right from the beginning, so that it is baked into the make-up of the legal industry for the next generation."

Some of the women behind Xakia

We’re proud that about 70% of our senior management team and about 50% of all the people we employ are female. Our team is the foundation behind Xakia and our matter management software is imperative to our company's success. That’s why we’re committed to promoting equality and diversity and providing an inclusive workplace culture for our people.

We’d like to highlight some of the fabulous women behind Xakia and get their thoughts on what International Women’s Day means for them, their role model and their top tips for all the women out there.

Jodie Baker – Group CEO
My message to young women thinking about their careers: Take chances! It’s never been such a good time to try new things, knowing that there is an abundance of work available. If you can, take 6 or 12 months to try something completely new.

Anne Post – CEO, North America
My message to young women thinking about their careers: Take chances and confidently express your voice in the room.

Poonam Dhimate – Full Stack Developer
I admire Mother Teresa who devoted her life to serving the poor and destitute around the world.

Haseena Muqarab – Application Support
International Women’s Day is a day where I can reflect how proud I am to be a daughter, mum, wife and reflect upon the progress I have made in my career and personal life.

Tanisha Stephens - Application Support
I most admire Michelle Obama for being the first African American First Lady of the United States and for inspiring women and young girls all around the world for better education, equal rights and healthy lifestyles.

How will you choose to #BreakTheBias?

As we celebrate our role models and women’s achievements, we must also acknowledge that there is still much work to be done. This year’s theme #BreakTheBias is the perfect opportunity to address the impact women can make in the LegalTech space simply by choosing to challenge their comfort zone and jumping into new opportunities. The potential benefits can be large.

One final tip for today - if you’re thinking of starting a career in legal technology, Jodie recommends getting involved with a local legal technology association, group or community in your region. In Australia, there is WALTA (Women of Australian LegalTech). “Surround yourself with women who have done or are doing the same thing so that you can shortcut the long lessons. Lean on people who are willing to help and build each other up.”