Inspirational legal women – breaking barriers and shaping justice. Personal stories of leadership, resilience and impact
The Legal Policy & Research Unit (LPRU) has created a podcast series interviewing inspiring IBA members with interesting careers and remarkable stories from across the globe. Each guest shares their thoughts and experiences about what it means to be a woman in the legal profession and how they have navigated different types of workplaces and challenges over the course of their career. The series covers diverse jurisdictions and women across all sectors of the law.
Inspirational legal women: a conversation with Deborah Enix Ross
An insightful discussion with IBA Secretary General, Deborah Enix-Ross, US lawyer at Debevoise and Plimpton LLP based at their New York office for over 20 years. She co-founded the Women's Interest Network within the American Bar Association's International Law Section, advocating for women's legal issues, something she has continued to do within the IBA. Deborah was President of the American Bar Association from 2022-2023 and named on the Forbes List of America’s top 200 lawyers in 2024.
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Inspirational legal women: a conversation with Carola van den Bruinhorst
Carola van den Bruinhorst is a Dutch lawyer with over 20 years’ experience at Loyens & Loeff, and consultant in transformation processes and leadership development. Carola founded the firm's Hong Kong office and has also lived abroad in New York and Milan. Passionate about diversity, she co-founded the IBA’s Diversity & Inclusion Council and has held leadership roles in IBA. She is currently pursuing an Executive Master at INSEAD (Institut Européen d'Administration des Affaires).
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Inspirational legal women: a conversation with Faiza Alleg Dolivet
Listen to international lawyer and mediator Faiza Alleg Dolivet sharing insights into her varied career, having lived and worked in many countries from Australia to the Congo, Tahiti to Switzerland. She has worked as an in-house legal director for a range of major companies, including Apple, Saipem and Boart Longyear. Now based with her family in France, her expertise covers many sectors and her IBA engagement includes the Anti-Corruption, Mediation, Litigation and Business and Human Rights Committees.
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Inspirational legal women: a conversation with Lucie Allen.
Lucie Allen has spent most of her career working with the legal profession, previously working as Vice President for the Global Large Law segment at Thomson Reuters. Now the Managing Director of BARBRI International, a global legal education company specialising in bar exam preparation and legal training, she works with the IBA to design specialist courses. Recognised for her collaborative approach and commitment to diversity and inclusion, she is also a director of She Breaks the Law and founder of #Menopause Matters.
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APR
Associate Justice Mary-Jane Ierodiaconou
The Hon Associate Justice Mary-Jane Ierodiaconou is a judicial officer of the Supreme Court of Victoria, Australia, which is the highest court in the state. Prior to her Honour’s appointment to the Bench in 2015, she worked as an employment and discrimination lawyer and co-founded female-led, collaborative Australian law firm Justitia in 2005, where she was a managing partner. Associate Justice Ierodiaconou has recently been appointed as a Commissioner of the IBA’s Professional Wellbeing Commission.
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ARR
Alessandra Nascimento Silva e Figueiredo Mourão
Founding partner of Nascimento e Mourão Advogados in São Paulo, Alessandra is an inspiring mentor to women and young lawyers. She is a past Chair of the Professional Ethics Committee of the IBA and a member of the SPPI Council. Alessandra created and coordinates the ‘Negotiation Techniques for Lawyers’ course at Fundação Getúlio Vargas Law School and is a guest lecturer at Universidade Católica Portuguesa in Lisbon. She holds a law degree and a postgraduate degree from the University of São Paulo, and is a negotiation specialist trained at Harvard Law School.
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MAY
Akila Agrawal
Akila Agrawal is a distinguished corporate lawyer based in New Delhi with over 23 years of experience in M&A, and corporate restructuring. She is a Senior Partner at Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas and set up the first creche at a law firm in India over 20 years ago when her first child was born. Akila has been consistently recognized by Chambers Global and Chambers Asia-Pacific for her expertise in Corporate and M&A law. Under her pseudonym, Vathi Agrawal, she authored the novel Marriages Not Made in Heaven, a witty and poignant portrayal of women and South Delhi life.
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The LPRU team undertakes research, and develops and implements innovative strategies, projects and initiatives that are relevant to business and the rule of law, the global legal profession and the broader global community.
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