Nearly three quarters of our team members are women and hold some of the most senior roles at CGW including Equity Partner, Workgroup Leader, General Manager, Special Counsel, Senior Associate and Department Head.

Providing a supportive and nurturing work environment is one of the cornerstones of how we operate and we are proud that our achievements have been recognised externally – we have been awarded an Employer of Choice for Women 2009 citation by the EOWA and have also been recognised in 2009 as a Breastfeeding Friendly Workplace by the Australian Breastfeeding Association.

At CGW we understand that in our society it is usually women who have the additional responsibilities associated with children and older family members however we recognise that anyone may take on this responsibility irrespective of gender and may require flexible arrangement to help manage their personal and work lives.  As such, over one quarter of our team members are on some form of flexible work arrangement.  These team members include associates, managers, solicitors and team members in support roles.  One of our goals is to be a leader in flexible work practices by 2010.  We are proud of what we have achieved so far in this regard, but we plan to go further.   Just some of the arrangements in place at the moment include:

• Working full time hours, but starting and finishing at different times
• Working part-time in the office, either a few days/ week or five days/ week with shorter hours each day
• Telecommuting 
• Working part-time in the office and at home with flexibility with when the work is actually performed
• Working a week-end day in exchange for a week day off each month 
• Providing up to 8 weeks paid parental leave for the primary care giver and up to two weeks paid parental leave for the non-primary care giver
• Leave can be taken in any amount to suit the needs of the team member
• Team members can negotiate to buy additional annual leave to suit changing circumstances
• Ensuring training is mostly held during normal office hours or is available in electronic form for those that cannot attend.

CGW also supports the Women’s Executive Group (WEGS) to provide more senior women in the firm with the opportunity to develop client relationships and participate in coaching in a female supportive environment.

In addition CGW has specifically supported a number of female focussed charity initiatives, such as Mothers’ Day Classic Fun Run, International Women’s Day Run and Suited to Success.  Suited to Success is a not for profit organisation helping unemployed women get back into the workforce by providing them with corporate clothes.