Equitable Briefing Policy

The Equitable Briefing Policy (EBP) Working Group (previously known as the Model Equal Opportunity Briefing Policy (MEOBP) Working Group) formed in 2004 in response to a request from the Standing Committee of Attorneys General for the Law Council to:

• assist in reconciling various existing policies aimed at equalising opportunities for female barristers; and
• develop a model policy suitable for adoption by the private legal profession and other briefing agencies.

In March 2004 the Working Group released the Model Equal Opportunity Briefing Policy for Female Barristers. The Policy, which was updated in June 2009, and subsequently renamed the Equitable Briefing Policy, was developed in response to reports in recent years that appearances in Australian superior courts are the product of inequitable gender briefing practices.

The work of the Working Group now focuses on promoting the broader uptake of the policy within the legal profession, including:

1. Development of the Policy Implementation Kit;
2. Seeking opportunities to promote the Policy on a national basis;
3. Looking for other means by which the principles of the Policy can be implemented;
4. Promoting a nationally consistent approach; and
5. Researching how to facilitate attitudinal and cultural change by and within the private legal profession and other briefing agencies.

Download the Equitable Briefing Policy

In this section

Implementation Kit

Public Register of Briefing Entities

The Survey

The Working Group

Resources