Balancing Law and Life

This project will study the seemingly irreconcilable tension between the contemporary plea for work/life balance and the increasingly competitive culture of large law firms. Amalgamations, incorporation, multi-disciplinary partnerships, listing on the stock exchange and the globalisation of law firms have contributed to the transformation so that legal practice has become more like a business than a profession. In view of the long struggle by women for gender equity in law, particular attention will be paid to the gender ramifications of this new 'hypercompetitive' culture.