NS legal profession becoming more diverse: study – Canadian Lawyer Magazine

January 7, 2015

The legal profession in Nova Scotia is steadily becoming more diverse, although a new study shows the gains are more noticeable in the public sector than at private law firms.

Nearly 50 per cent of lawyers in the province called to the bar since 2000 are female. Almost 15 per cent of calls during that period are identified as part of “equity-seeking groups,” states the study commissioned by the Nova Scotia Barristers’ Society.

The survey is part of long-standing efforts by the organization to improve employment equity in the legal profession in the province. It is the first time that it has commissioned an analysis of the demographics of lawyers in Nova Scotia.

The survey shows while there has been an increase in the number of female lawyers, as well as those who identify as Acadian, African NS/Black, Mi’kmaq/Aboriginal, LGBT, or as a person with a disability — the changes have been very gradual over the past two decades.

Read More: http://www.canadianlawyermag.com/legalfeeds/2469/n-s-legal-profession-becoming-more-diverse-study.html