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In popular culture female lawyers are often used to portray ambitious, hard working and quintessentially modern women.
Hit television shows such as Damages – which stars Australian actor Rose Byrne – as well as The Practice, Law & Order and Ally McBeal have all featured intelligent and not to mention driven leading ladies.
Local productions such as the ABC's Sea Change are also based on the lives of high-profile and well educated individuals who just happen to double as mothers, sisters and daughters.
And yet despite the increasingly positive representation of women in the media, it seems that real-life may not be so glamorous.
Women are increasingly taking on work in male-dominated industries and it is no longer uncommon to see women wearing hard hats or heading political parties.
Yet despite these gains when it comes to gender-balance in managerial or higher positions, it seems that the fairer sex is falling behind.
The Advancement of Women in the Profession Report, which was released today (December 1), has found that a range of barriers are preventing women from taking on leadership roles.
According to the Law Society of New South Wales women now make up 46 per cent of the state's 24,000 solicitors.
In fact, the number of female solicitors practising in the premier state alone has grown by 452 per cent since 1998, compared to 65 per cent for men.
However, feedback from solicitors in the Illawarra region shows that they are still under-represented in senior positions.
In large private law firms women comprise 23 per cent of partners and in small medium size firms the figure drops to just 18 per cent.
Stuart Westgrath, president of the Law Society, lead the research project as part of a broader push to improve the working conditions of women in law firms.
"Throughout this project the Law Society has been keen to build on the significant progress which has already been made on women’s participation in the legal profession," he said.
But Mr Westgrath also made it clear that change would be incremental and take into consideration the views of all interested parties.
"We are not advocating mandatory requirements or quotas for gender diversity in legal practices. Rather we believe there is an appetite for continued change in the profession which can be further stimulated by the recommendations in our report," he said.
One of the key recommendations that may help women continue to work in private practice involves reviewing the Law Society's locum service, which includes its parental leave schemes.
Photo credit: © George Wada – Fotolia.com