On 26 March 2026, ArbitralWomen, in collaboration with Femmes et Droit,  presented a Paris Arbitration Week panel entitled "Female Lawyers and Arbitrators: Facing the Same Challenges?" The panel highlighted common issues facing women in various professional roles such as lawyers, arbitrators, in-house counsel.
 
The panel was moderated by Caroline Duclerq, Vice-President of Femmes et Droit, and featured ArbitralWomen Board Member Cherine Foty,  ArbitralWomen Country Representative Karolina Rozycka, Femmes et Droit Treasurer Anne-Laure-Hélène des Ylouses, and Martha Alexiou. ArbitralWomen Corporate Subscriber Fieldfisher hosted the event at its Paris Office.

The panel highlighted alarming statistics regarding female representation in the legal profession in France and internationally. Caroline Duclerq reported that despite women accounting for 58.8% of lawyers in France, they represent only about 30% of international arbitration partners. Furthermore, she reported that women represent less than one-third of arbitrators, and are appointed at a rate of 46% by institutions and only 19-21% by parties. The panelists commented on the challenges and strategies necessary to overcome these disparities and work towards gender parity in the profession, including:

• The ongoing challenges for women lawyers: access to partnership, visibility, pay gaps, and the impact of parenthood;
• Often similar challenges for women arbitrators, particularly regarding party appointments and access to presiding roles;
• Possible solutions: awareness-raising through education, the commitment of institutions and law firms, and collective initiatives;
• The potential role of artificial intelligence in improving visibility, reducing certain biases, and broadening pools of candidates for appointment.

The discussion continued through an interactive exchange with the audience, which made it possible to explore potential solutions in greater depth and share concrete feedback and experiences.

Submitted by Caroline Duclerq (Partner, Medici Law Firm)