International Women’s Day at Ellis Jones

International Women’s Day (IWD) is a global event celebrated annually on 8th March 2025. This day gives focus to celebrating social, cultural, economic, and political achievements of women.

The campaign this year has the theme of ‘Accelerate Action’. According to the World Economic Forum, at current progress rates, it will take until 2158, five generations from now, to reach full gender parity.

Accelerate Action emphasises the importance of taking significant steps to achieve gender equality. It calls for increased momentum and urgency in addressing the barriers and biases that women face.

The first IWD was held in March 1911, when more than one million people attended IWD rallies campaigning for women’s rights to vote, work, be trained, to hold public office and end discrimination.

In 1975, IWD was marked for the first time by the United Nations (UN).

By 1996 the UN announced their first annual theme “Celebrating the Past, Planning for the Future.” Annual themes followed in 1997 with “Women at the Peace Table” and so on each year.

2011 saw the centenary of IWD, when the former US President, Barack Obama proclaimed March 2011 to be “Women’s History Month.” IWD was finally starting to become more mainstream and inclusive, with groups globally participating.

How Ellis Jones supports Women’s Equality

• 74% of people at Ellis Jones are women and we have 8 partners who are women at the firm which is a higher number than other firms.
• We have had 17 trainee solicitors who are women qualify as solicitors at the firm.
• Ellis Jones has an enhanced maternity policy with entitlement to 52 weeks’ maternity leave, compromising of 26 weeks’ ordinary maternity leave plus 26 weeks’ additional maternity leave. Enhanced maternity pay is paid at the full rate of your normal salary for the first 12 weeks and then at half normal salary for the next 12 weeks or months and includes statutory maternity pay that may be due for that period.
• We sponsor the STEAM Challenge Event at Bournemouth University which supports girls in education, organised by Soroptimist International Bournemouth, to transform the lives and status of women and girls through education, empowerment and enabling opportunities.

Below are the career stories of some of our female partners:

Lauren Day – Partner & Head of Dispute Resolution

“After completing my training contract with Ellis Jones – which was both engaging and challenging – I qualified into the firm’s Dispute Resolution team. Having received excellent support and training I was made an Associate in 2012 and a partner in December 2013. I feel that my rapid progression to partner reflects the firm’s commitment to support and development for their staff. I doubt that I would have had such opportunities at other firms”

Kate Brooks – Partner & Head of Employment/HR Law

“I started my training contract at Ellis Jones in 2009, I qualified into the Employment Department in September 2011. I was promoted to Associate and Head of the Department in 2013. I had a baby girl in September 2015 and was promoted to Senior Associate while I was on maternity leave at the start of 2016. Ellis Jones supported me in a flexible return to work in 2016, I currently work flexibly from each of our offices, remotely from home and have flexible hours so that I can spend time with my daughter. I have was promoted to Partner January 2018. I really appreciate the support that Ellis Jones has given me through the years, particularly in relation to my return to work following maternity leave and supporting me to become a Partner.”

Katie Taft – Partner & Solicitor – Family

“After completing my training contract with Ellis Jones in 2010 I qualified into the firm’s Family team. I had spent almost 9 months in the department during my two year training contract and knew that family law was my passion. Ellis Jones have consistently provided me with support, encouragement and mentoring throughout my career which has allowed me to pursue my career goals. I was promoted to Associate Solicitor in 2013 and to Senior Associate Solicitor in 2016. In January 2018 I was appointed as a Partner of the firm joining a team of Partners, many of whom also trained at Ellis Jones. The firm’s commitment to “growing their own” is unrivalled by other firms in the local area and in turn, creates an environment of loyalty, teamwork and trust throughout the partnership and across the firm generally”

As a firm we firmly believe in gender equality and continue to make strides to level the playing field within the legal sector.