Join us on 17 July at 9.30am for our next Female Counsel session; a space to connect, grow, and learn alongside other women in law.

This month, we're thrilled to welcome Mastane Williamson from Pinsent Masons as our guest speaker. Mastane will be exploring:

‘Harnessing AI: how to use AI for efficiency and empowerment’

AI is reshaping the legal landscape, but how do we stay ahead of the curve without losing our human edge? This session will offer practical insights and space for honest conversation.

Bring your questions. Bring your coffee. We’ll see you there.

On Thursday 4th September, Female Counsel will host the first in a new series of events and it’s one I’m truly excited about!

🌟 This will be the launch of 'Conversations with Inspirational Women'

🌟 We will be joined by a phenomenal panel of women who are managing partners at their respective firms;

🔹 Emily Monastiriotis at Simmons & Simmons

🔹 Kathleen Harris at Arnold & Porter

🔹 Jo Farmer at Lewis Silkin

All three have carved out incredible careers with real impact.

And I’m thrilled we’ll get to hear from them directly, not just about what they do, but on their journeys to where they are now.

Thank you to Simmons & Simmons for hosting this event.So please put the date in your diaries. 8.30am - 10.30am 4 September.

Come along. Be inspired. If you would like to attend this event please email norah@norahdurrantrecruitment.com

SAVE THE DATE!

I am so excited to announce a very special Female Counsel event which will take place on 4th September at 8.30am.

This IN PERSON event will mark the start of a new series of 'Conversations with Inspirational Women'. We are surrounded by incredible women who are really making a mark in the legal world and beyond and I am thrilled to run this series, spend time with these women and showcase how inspirational they are.

So please do put this date in your diaries...further details will follow shortly!

I am so pleased to announce that we have two guest speakers to lead our discussion - Keeley Lengthorn, partner at RWK Goodman, National Baby Loss Campaigner and founder of George's Law and Emma Menzies, Fertility at Work Coach.

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion stands at the crossroads of history. It appears that its very essence is being attacked at present. We can see what is happening in the US – but what does that mean for us in the UK?

‘No’ is a tiny word but why do some of us really struggle to say it? 

Three years ago, I was fed up with seeing talented women in law struggle to progress, often feeling isolated and undervalued in their roles.

Career progression in law can be demanding, and for many women, the traditional path to partnership can feel rigid and unforgiving. 

But what if there was another way?

Our next Female Counsel virtual event will take place at 9.30am on 27th February. This month we are spoilt with three guest speakers! Susan Attwood, Emma E. Smith and Manal Tabbara are going to lead our discussion on 'Insights into Different Careers in Law'.

Please join us at 9.30am on 6 March when the wonderful Rachel Spink, employment lawyer at gunnercooke and founder of the Female Lawyers’ Club will be in conversation with two more female founders – the incredible Sarah Goulbourne co-founder of gunnercooke and all round champion of female talent and me! (For once I’m the guest speaker!)

I am incredibly proud (and very surprised!) to share that I have been shortlisted for the Women and Diversity in Law Awards! What an honour! It has led me to reflect about how far I’ve come over the years, as a one-woman band on a mission to get more women into senior positions in law firms. I've not done it completely alone. With a 600+ strong community of Female Counsel members behind me, it's spurred my commitment to driving meaningful change and I couldn't have done it without their encouragement and support.

Our first virtual event of 2025 will take place at 9.30am on Thursday 16th January 2025 and I will be joined by the incredible Nicola Green – some of you may remember that Nicola was one of our guest speakers a few years ago. Well, she’s back! Nicola is such a positive and uplifting person and I felt she was just what we needed to kickstart the year.

Our last Female Counsel coffee morning was a huge success so let's squeeze another one in before the end of the year! If you're in town on 4th December and fancy a coffee with myself and some other Female Counsel members please email me - norah@norahdurrantrecruitment.com

It's a great opportunity to catch up with some familiar faces and make new connections all in the spirit of celebrating female talent! It would be so lovely to see you.

I am absolutely thrilled (and totally shocked!) to have been nominated for Woman of the Year in the Women and Diversity in Law Awards 2025. Thank you to those who nominated me. I’m genuinely humbled to be included in such an incredible list of women.

Join Alys and Danielle from TransPerfect Legal as they guide you through advanced strategies for legal business development. Discover actionable steps you can immediately integrate into your daily routine to expand and strengthen your network, attract potential clients, and build a robust pipeline of future work. Alys and Danielle coach a genuine, relationship-focused approach—rooted in kindness and authenticity—that’ll help you grow your practice with integrity.

The virtual event will take place at 9.30am on 20th November 2024.

This October my guest speaker will be Lucy Blake, a partner in the London office of Jenner & Block. Lucy sits in Jenner’s Investigations, Compliance and Defense practice.  She helps clients investigate, respond to, recover from, and prevent all manner of wrongdoing.  This includes bribery and other forms of white-collar crime, toxic workplace cultures, and ESG risks such as human rights and supply chain abuses. Lucy serves as a Co-Chair of the firm’s Human Rights and Global Strategy Practice. She joined Jenner as a counsel in May 2021 and became a partner at the start of this year.

The virtual event will take place at 9.30am on 16th October.

After the summer break our next Female Counsel virtual session will take place at 9.30am on 19th September. Our topic for discussion - 'The Importance of Social Mobility'.

I am delighted to be joined Sarah Wigington and Emily Chalkley from Charles Rusell Speechlys who will lead our discussion.

Our last Female Counsel coffee morning was a huge success so let's try and squeeze in one more before the summer madness begins!

If you're in town on 23rd July and fancy a coffee with myself and some other Female Counsel members please email me.

I am delighted to announce that I am holding Summer Drinks for the wonderful Female Counsel group on Thursday 20th June from 6pm-9pm.

This will tie in with the launch of our Female Counsel Mentoring Scheme and I am thrilled to chair a panel to discuss mentoring in more detail. I will be joined by Sarah Anticoni (Charles Russell Speechlys), Fiona Fitzgerald (Radcliffe Chambers), Paula Myers (Irwin Mitchell) and Colette Stevens (Aretai). Irwin Mitchell have very kindly offered to host us in their London office. Please save the date.