Despite decades of effort, the legal profession remains one of the least diverse industries, with systemic barriers affecting who enters, advances, and succeeds. Bias – whether conscious or unconscious – perpetuates inequality, impacting hiring, promotions, pay, and leadership opportunities. The traditional pipeline to legal success favors those with economic privilege, established networks, and cultural capital, leaving others at a disadvantage. There are more women than ever before in the legal profession, but the seniority gap remains and barriers to success persist.

Written by women lawyers who have achieved success, despite the odds, and leading experts who have helped law firms and corporations implement meaningful change, Beyond Bias is more than just an exploration of the problem – it is a roadmap for transforming the legal profession into one that truly reflects the diversity of the world it serves.

At a time when diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives are under fire, this book makes the business case for gender equity, showing how inclusive teams drive better decision-making, innovation, and profitability.

Melanie Arens
https://www.linkedin.com/in/melanie-arens-54b162206/

Melanie Arens is a newly qualified solicitor licensed to practice in England and Wales, with a special interest in family law and international child law. Melanie commenced her legal journey nearly 23 years prior to her qualification by reading law at the University of Southampton, England, before embarking on a career in the local authority youth and children’s services.
Her pre-qualification professional experience centered on the fields of youth justice, children not in education, and children leaving care, where she carried out both frontline practitioner and managerial positions. In 2009, Melanie completed her master’s degree in Human Rights Law at Birkbeck, University of London, gaining insight into international human rights law while interning and consulting in Geneva and Malta before returning to her employment with the UK government.
Melanie spent many years trying to secure a training contract and completed her postgraduate legal practice course and training contract predominately part-time while raising a young family. Further to the challenges she encountered in her qualification journey, Melanie now speaks on issues pertaining to non-linear paths to qualification, working motherhood in law, and wellbeing in the legal profession.
In 2024, Melanie spearheaded a free online community network for mature aspiring career changers to law – Later On Lawyers – which provides inspiration, advice, and support to its members on breaking into the legal profession later in life. Melanie holds regular virtual networking meetings and webinars for the community, drawing on her own extensive network to maximize the group’s offering. Melanie’s involvement and mentoring of community members has provided her with a unique insight into the challenges specifically faced by career changers and late bloomers in the legal profession.
Melanie spent a short time in private practice post-qualification; at the time of publication, she is due to commence employment with the Ministry of Justice as a legal advisor to the magistrates in the court’s family division. She lives on the south coast of England with her husband and two daughters.

Shilpa Bhandarkar
https://www.linkedin.com/in/shilpabhandarkar/

Shilpa Bhandarkar is an industry award-winning legal innovator and AI consultant. She advises boards, law firms, and entrepreneurs looking to innovate, scale, and accelerate their growth mandates. Her background is in international law and legaltech; past roles have included partner and head of the client tech and AI team at Linklaters; CEO of CreateiQ; legal network director of Lexoo; and founder and CEO of LetsCoo.
Shilpa has spent the last two years focused on the impact of generative AI on the practice of law, including its potential impact on the gender gap. In collaboration with The Next 100 Years and She Breaks the Law, she led on the publication of the No Woman Left Behind: Closing the AI Gender Gap report, published December 2024.
She has been listed as a leading Disruptor in The Lawyer Hot 100 and an individual winner of the TechWomen100 Awards.

Joanne Brook
https://www.linkedin.com/in/joanne-brook-techlioness/

Joanne Brook is a solicitor who qualified as the web was launched and has been a legal technologist ever since. She advises innovators across the creative sectors – from software developers and theatre producers to AI and VR developers and artists who distribute NFTs. She focuses on helping clients achieve commercial solutions to previously unencountered legal issues that arise from development and use of their technology. Critically, she protects and licenses their intellectual property rights to ensure business expansion and growth in a fast-paced market. Prior to becoming a legal consultant, she was a partner at a West End law firm and a boutique City law firm. She describes her view of the digital revolution and use of new technologies as being somewhere between sitting, awestruck, in the jumpseat with a supersonic test pilot as the engines roar and calmly evacuating the plane, wearing a parachute and hi-vis, carrying a laptop, and inflating a lifeboat. Between all that, she feels privileged to continue to advise passionate, smart, and more creative people than herself daily.
Joanne is an intellectual property professional expert for LexisNexis and an author of intellectual property and data management precedents for various professional publications. She is a regular contributor to the legal press and lectures on technology and new law.

Rachel Brushfield
https://www.linkedin.com/in/energiseliberateyourtalent/

Rachel Brushfield is The Talent Liberator™® and founder of EnergiseLegal, established 1996. An experienced career strategist and coach with a marketing and brand strategy career heritage, Rachel helps mid-career lawyers to overcome actual and perceived blocks and to create an uplifting breakthrough at major career crossroads. Women lawyers, portfolio careers, personal branding, and consultant lawyers are specialisms. Content creation projects include career webinars for The Law Society and diversity and inclusion content for LexisNexis. Rachel is a published author in multiple topics, including marketing, career management, professional development, and talent management. A seasoned events professional, Rachel has participated in multiple events for women lawyer networks, including The Law Society UK, The Law Society Northern Ireland, the Society of English and American Lawyers (SEAL), American Women Lawyers in London (AWLL), and Women in the Law (WITL).

Sarah Clark
https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarah-clark-49211533/

As chief revenue officer, Sarah Clark leads The Legal Director’s commercial strategy, driving brand awareness, lead generation, marketing, and client engagement to support sustained revenue growth. She is responsible for shaping the end-to-end client journey, from market entry through to long-term client relationships, and for ensuring that The Legal Director’s proposition remains relevant, differentiated, and client-focused. Sarah plays a pivotal role in enabling The Legal Director’s community of experienced general counsel to do their best work – delivering value for clients, building trusted relationships, and enjoying rewarding, fulfilling careers. She brings a strategic, data-led approach to business performance, underpinned by a focus on continuous improvement, a collaborative culture, and client insight.

Rachel Khiara
https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachelkhiara/

Rachel Khiara is an experienced partnership lawyer with 25 years’ expertise in LLP and partnership law, law firm M&A, private equity investment in the legal sector, and Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) regulatory compliance. Currently a partner at HCR Law, she co-leads the firm’s Partnerships Group, focusing on non-contentious partnership matters, including governance, structuring, and compliance with SRA rules.
Her expertise extends to advising professional practices (including solicitors, accountants, and architects), investment managers firms, private equity clients, and overseas clients. For many years, Rachel has been recognized in the leading UK legal directories for the depth of her knowledge in partnership practice and her focus on the legal services sector.
Previously, Rachel was a partner at Addleshaw Goddard LLP and counsel at Allen & Overy LLP before founding Khiara Law LLP, a boutique firm specializing in LLP, partnership, and regulatory law. Rachel acts as trusted advisor and provides strategic guidance for senior management boards of law firms. She is passionate about supporting junior lawyers, particularly those with part-time working arrangements and flexible working to accommodate care responsibilities.

Hilda Kwoffie
https://www.linkedin.com/in/hilda-kwoffie-msc-3b8aaa145/

Hilda Kwoffie is a solicitor specializing in human rights and civil liberties. She qualified as a solicitor in 2024 after obtaining a first-class degree in LLB Law with European Legal Studies and an MSc LPC in Law, Business and Management. Her postgraduate work focused on diversity and inclusion in the legal sector, reflecting her commitment to diversity and inclusion in the profession.
Hilda is the founder of The BAME Woman in Law, an organization supporting underrepresented women in law through mentorship, skills development, and networking. In recognition of her work, she was named Mentor of the Year at the 2025 Women and Diversity in Law Awards.
An advocate for race, representation, and reform, Hilda has spoken on panels for the Bar Standards Board during Black History Month, delivered a keynote speech at the University of Hull, and participated in discussions at the Houses of Parliament, among other speaking engagements and advocatory initiatives. She continues to champion structural inclusion through public speaking, writing, and mentorship.

Priya Lele
https://www.linkedin.com/in/priya-lele/

Priya Lele is co-founder and chair of She Breaks the Law, a global network of 4,000+ women leaders across 50+ countries reshaping the legal ecosystem. She has over two decades of experience bridging traditional legal practice and digital innovation.
As former director of the EY Legal Transform and Operate practice and senior leader at global law firms, she has extensive experience leading transformation initiatives at law firms and corporate legal departments across the UK, US, EMEA, and Australia.
Passionate about creating inclusive pathways for women’s leadership, Priya led the first gender-lensed research into AI adoption in law, publishing No Woman Left Behind: Closing the AI Gender Gap in Law (2024) in collaboration with She Breaks the Law, The Next 100 Years, and Linklaters.
A recognized thought leader in legal technology, innovation, and diversity, Priya received the European Women of Legal Tech Award in 2020 and the International Legal Technology Association’s Influential Women in Legal Tech Award in 2025.

Belinda Lester
https://www.linkedin.com/in/belindaclester/

Upon qualifying, Belinda Lester immediately specialized in employment law and worked in various West End and City law firms, becoming a partner in two. Recognizing the uncomfortable tension caused by the need to act swiftly and efficiently to help clients and the need to generate significant fees for firms, as well as realizing that the needs of her professional life and her young family demanded a new way of working, Belinda established Lionshead Law in 2013 as an entirely virtual law firm. With a clear desk and a keen understanding of social media engagement, Belinda built the firm using various digital platforms to secure and deliver work remotely. Addressing the incongruity of hourly rates, and free from the overhead of London offices, Lionshead Law initially worked on fixed fees and retainers only while building a network of self-employed senior consultant lawyers, who are experts in their fields and prepared take a high percentage on billing rather than waiting for partners to take their cut and hope for an annual bonus or a pay raise.
Belinda is known as a tough negotiator and fearsome litigator, and is frequently commended by her clients for being clear, concise, practical, and solution-focused while simultaneously being empathetic and supportive. She is a member of the Employment Lawyers’ Association and frequent contributor to professional press and media on the subject of employment law matters.

Pam Loch
https://www.linkedin.com/in/pam-loch/

Pam Loch is a dual-qualified solicitor who established Loch Associates Group in 2007 to respond to the need for bespoke solutions to the challenges facing organizations as they grow. Today, Loch Associates Group is an awardwinning legal, HR, training, and wellbeing and mediation organization, with the aim of creating responsible, high-performing, and progressive businesses. As well as being the driving force behind the business, Pam has also been a specialist, award-winning solicitor for over 20 years, writing thoughtleading articles and book chapters, as well as acting as a seasoned commentator for television and radio.
For the last 14 years, Pam has been ranked as a leading solicitor in employment law in the Legal 500’s and Chambers and Partners’ legal guides, with Loch Law (part of the Loch Associates Group) also being ranked as a leading firm. Loch Law is also recognized as a top 250 employment law firm by The Times. Her passion for finding solutions to help businesses manage and look after their people is reflected in the development and success of the businesses across the Loch Associates Group.

Claire Rason
https://www.linkedin.com/in/clairerasonbdexpert/

Claire Rason is an accredited coach (as a senior practitioner by the European Mentoring and Coaching Council), founder of Client Talk, and co-founder of B-Contagious. A former practicing solicitor, she has worked in and alongside professional services firms for over two decades. In her work as a team coach, Claire raises awareness of the impact bias, so that teams can collaborate more effectively and inclusively. She is passionate about embedding active listening in firms to drive meaningful change. Claire is a strong advocate for gender parity at partnership level and has conducted research into the barriers women face in reaching senior roles. Her report, Class of 2002: Women in Law, is available to download for free on the Client Talk website. She is co-author of books on women in business development and coaching, and hosts the Lawyer’s Coach podcast.

Yanthé Richardson
https://www.linkedin.com/in/yantherichardson/

Yanthé Richardson is an equity partner at growing national top 100 law firm Foot Anstey LLP, and was the president of the Chartered Institute of Legal Executives (CILEX) between 2024–2025. Her career in law began as a school leaver in 2003. She trained vocationally via CILEX Law School, initially qualifying in family law. She practiced at Josiah–Lake Gardiner LLP in London before re-specializing in property and joining Foot Anstey in 2014. With a specialism in new-build and affordable housing, Yanthé now leads teams that act for both developers/registered providers and buyers. Sitting on the Land Registry Advisory Council and the Digital Property Market Steering Group, and acting as the lawyer representative on the New Homes Quality Board’s Code Review Council, she is known as an industry expert in new-build housing matters.
Yanthé was recognized in Obelisk’s 2024 Women Who Will report: “Yanthé’s commitment to accessible legal education and her leadership within CILEX have established her as a significant advocate for social mobility in law. Her achievements underscore her impact as a transformative figure in the legal profession.” She is passionate about the importance of increasing socioeconomic diversity in the legal profession.

Rachel Spink
https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachel-spink/

Rachel Spink is a partner at Gunnercooke LLP and an employment lawyer with over 20 years’ experience. Rachel represents clients in UK Employment Tribunal and High Court litigation and advises companies and individuals on resolving complex workplace disputes.
Rachel is the founder of Female Lawyers’ Club, a membership and career development platform that supports women in law to design careers on their own terms, with higher pay, greater autonomy, and a sustainable work–life balance. Through expert-led masterclasses, strategic networking, and practical tools, the Club empowers members to grow in confidence, build resilience, and thrive professionally and personally.
Rachel regularly writes about gender equity, inclusive leadership, and the future of legal careers, and is passionate about reshaping the legal profession to better support the progression and wellbeing of women.

Brie Stevens-Hoare KC
https://www.linkedin.com/in/briestevenshoare/

Brie Stevens-Hoare KC is a client-focused barrister, practicing from Gatehouse Chambers. Brie specializes in property disputes, focusing in particular on real property, property development, and the more commercial aspects of property work. In addition, she has developed a strong reputation for her contentious probate work, which frequently involves property issues. Brie is ranked in Band 1 as a leading King’s Counsel in real estate in the 2025 editions of both the Legal 500 and Chambers and Partners’ legal guides, and is also ranked for her contentious probate work and as a mediator. Brie served as a Judicial Appointments Commissioner (2018–2024). She is Lincoln’s Inn’s Co-Convenor of the Inns of Court Women’s Alliance and has worked with the Bar Council on the impact of the menopause. Brie is also a founding member of the Bar’s LGBTQIA+ network, FreeBar.

Francesca Ramadan