After years of small gains, there will be more happy working lawyers this Mother’s Day after the pandemic shifted, seemingly for good, the way women working in the law are able to do their jobs.

Historically, the legal sector is among the worst industries in corporate Australia for gender equity in senior ranks. The pandemic has removed one of the main barriers limiting both the advancement and retention of women in the sector by forcing firms and courts to allow flexible work despite a past reticence to do so.