Alix Frank Rechtsanwälte continuously supports the Women in Law Initiative. As main sponsor of the Women in Law Conference, we are proud to continue our commitment to advancing gender equality and diversity within the legal profession. Through the dedicated involvement of Prof. Mag. Franz J. Heidinger, LLM (Virginia) our law firm has played a leading role in the creation and implementation of the Women in Law Journal. This publication is now freely accessible online, providing a peer-reviewed and interdisciplinary platform for academics, practitioners, and students to contribute to the ongoing discourse on women in the legal field.
The legal professions have long been shaped by traditional structures and paradigms that often overlook the long-standing and unique challenges faced by women in law. Despite significant advancements, women in the legal field continue to encounter barriers to equal participation, professional growth, and leadership opportunities. Neither the multifaceted challenges they face nor their crucial role and impact on shaping the legal professions are adequately represented and acknowledged. Instead, the recent shifts in policies and discourse surrounding diversity, equity, and inclusion raise concerns about potential setbacks, creating additional challenges for women and other underrepresented groups performing legal professions.
The Women in Law Journal (WiLJ), organized by the Women in Law Initiative (www.womeninlaw.eu), is thus a timely response to both a gap in legal scholarship and recent global developments affecting women in legal professions. As an independent, open access and peer reviewed journal, it provides a dedicated platform aiming to expand and deepen the academic research on topics concerning women in law, while simultaneously serving as a resource for practitioners seeking concrete solutions to challenges encountered by women legal professionals.
Starting as online first, the WiLJ invites contributions from three key groups - academics, practitioners and students. Academics specializing in areas relevant to women in law will provide in-depth analyses and research, furthering the theoretical and doctrinal development of the field. Practitioners - including lawyers and judges - can contribute practical insights through shorter, practice-oriented articles, while law students will have the opportunity to engage in scholarly dialogue by publishing their first academic works. To accurately reflect the current situation of women around the world, the WiLJ encourages a broad array of contributions embracing interdisciplinary approaches and diverse jurisdictions from interested parties. By doing so, it intends to ensure that the discourse remains inclusive and globally relevant. Topics may therefore include, but are not limited to, gender equality in legal professions, barriers to leadership and career advancement for women in law, the impact of emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence on women in law, and broader legal frameworks affecting women's rights. This is also reflected in the first issue of the Journal, which features contributions on a variety of important and relevant topics relating to women in law. The subjects covered range from gender stereotyping, women's health issues to the gender pay gap and fair distribution of pensions as well as the aspirations of a new generation of women law students of the future of legal professions.
At a time when legal professions, like many other fields, continue to grapple with issues concerning diversity, equity, and representation, the WiLJ aspires to be a reliable source for female* legal professionals (and their male* allies) worldwide. It seeks to drive the conversation on the issues faced by women legal professionals forward to ensure not only a raise in the awareness to the challenges faced by women in law but also a higher engagement to explore solutions to these issues for the future.
In this spirit of advancing dialogue and action, we are proud to highlight a key event that embodies these goals: the upcoming Women in Law Conference 2026 in Vienna. www.womeninlawconference.at
