IBA Secretary-General Deborah Enix-Ross kicks off the first episode
The International Bar Association’s Legal Policy & Research Unit has debuted a women-focused podcast series called “Inspirational Legal Women.”
In the series, women in various legal fields and jurisdictions will be interviewed by IBA legal projects director Sara Carnegie and project lawyer Isla Tobin. IBA Secretary-General Deborah Enix-Ross appears in the first episode.
Enix-Ross has been a lawyer at Debevoise and Plimpton LLP in New York for over two decades. Along with the American Bar Association's International Law Section, Enix-Ross co-founded the Women's Interest Network. She was ABA president from 2022 to 2023 and is known as an advocate for women’s legal issues.
“When I had the opportunity to appoint arbitrators, US arbitrators, I made sure that there were women. And so that was my way of breaking one barrier and then making sure that other women did not have to face that,” Enix-Ross said in a podcast snippet published by the IBA.
She explained how she had decided to not let others hamper her goals.
“Are you going to let someone stand in the way of what your goals are and what you want to achieve? And for me, the answer was no, I'm going to push forward. It may take me longer. It may be harder. It may be that my road is different. But I have a goal in mind, and I am going to do everything in my power to achieve that goal,” Enix-Ross said on the podcast.
She encouraged women to set their own career timetables.
“Don't think you have to achieve everything right away. So, follow your passion. Set your own timetable. And then this one is really important to me. Lift as you climb. You may be the first to do something, but don't be the last. You may be the first woman. You may be the only woman, but make it your business to be sure that you're not the last one,” Enix-Ross said.
The “Inspirational Legal Women” podcast is intended to complement the LPRU’s efforts to address gender inequality in the legal profession.
