Criminal Law

By Jane Carey

28.10.16

“Don’t ask me for legal advice on tinder”

There are now (and have been for several recent years) more female law graduates than males.  Criminal defence law is one of the traditionally male-dominated arenas, but that too is changing, particularly in the ACT.  At BA&A there are a significant number of female lawyers (8 in total in the Aulich Group) and our staff is overwhelmingly female.

As a young (but not too young so that I am inexperienced), intelligent, sassy and attractive female criminal defence lawyer of the 21st century, I present to you:

The top 10 peeves of a female criminal defence lawyer:

  1. Don’t call me ‘Legally Blonde’… until the second conference and then all jokes are allowed.
  2. Don’t be embarrassed around me. I too have had drunken nights at Mooseheads and done things I regret.
  3. Don’t assume that I won’t act for you if you’re a male charged with domestic violence.
  4. Vice versa, don’t think I’ve ‘betrayed my gender’ and don’t care about women’s rights because I act for alleged perpetrators of domestic violence.
  5. Don’t ask me at the bar when I first meet you, “how do you do your job???” As our partner, Peter Woodhouse eloquently said in an earlier blog, there’s many answers I will give, depending how much of a rise I want to get out of you.
  6. Don’t stare down my top when I’m talking to you about something as serious as the likelihood of gaol. I appreciate it may ‘pacify’ the news I’m delivering, but it demeans us both.
  7. Don’t assume I’m the secretary – even though I have glasses.
  8. Don’t expect me to always be kind and caring…I am 90% of the time, but I’m not afraid to tell you bluntly to pull your head in and/or suck it up.
  9. Don’t tell me my job sounds like Suits or Rake. It’s definitely more like The Good Wife.
  10. Do not ask me for legal advice on tinder!*

*This may or may not be based on a true story.