It appears that Canada has the same problem as the United States. An article titled “Why Supermom is leaving the firm,” by Jeff Gray of the Law Reporter, states that many female lawyers in Canada have been leaving big law firms to seek jobs with mid-size firms, in-house legal departments or government agencies. These women seek “less punishing hours and more flexible workplaces.” Others have been leaving the practice of law all together.
According to Law Society of Upper Canada statistics, women usually leave after spending about five to seven years as a lawyer, before they make partner. To address the problem that Canada has been struggling with for years, the Law Society of Upper Canada created the Justicia Project, which signed up 56 Ontario firms and aimed to develop model policies on flexible working hours, leaves and mentorships. The article discusses the success of the project, but admits that it is difficult to quantify how much good the project has done.
“Until there are changes, many female lawyers will likely seek alternative career paths beyond Bay Street. But new business models, and new technology, may be making that easier. With the Internet, legal work can now be done far from a steel-and-glass office tower.”