Bogotá D.C., April 2023. The Arbitration and Conciliation Center of the Bogotá Chamber of Commerce will organize the First National and International Congress of women in law: Women in Law, an initiative that promotes dialogue, debate and disseminates the work and opportunities for women in the legal sector. The event will take place on April 11 and 12 at the Chapinero Headquarters of the CCB.

The two-day agenda will feature panels, talks and networking spaces in which the legal leaders of the most representative sectors will speak to present their experiences and present their legal position on current issues such as the energy transition, tax reform, fashion law, intellectual property, the contribution of the MRC to the relief of justice, the inclusion of gender policies in legal teams, among other relevant issues on the legal agenda.

Spaces have also been arranged for attendees to strengthen their skills in marketing and legal communication, managing emotions in the legal context and building an image. Women in Law also supports the work of women entrepreneurs, who will exhibit their work and products at the entrepreneur fair that will be available throughout the event. Attendance is free, however, prior registration is required.

The role of women in the legal sector

More and more women are gaining ground in the legal sector and are protagonists in the different scenarios in which they practice their profession as lawyers, judges, litigants, administrators, representatives on boards of directors, researchers or in whatever context in which that today it is possible to exercise the right.

This achievement has been possible thanks to women's access to legal education and training programs, as well as the promotion of gender equality. Another of the causes that has marked this change is the gradual transformation of professional practices that increasingly recognize that diverse work teams make a difference when facing crises or when generating innovation in companies. .

Women's participation has been visible in the public and private sectors. In recent years, the number of women who have held important positions in the government, such as Ministers of Justice, attorneys or judges of the High Courts, has increased significantly. This trend is also reflected in the Conflict Resolution Mechanisms (MRC), a system that since its launch in Colombia has integrated women who have led projects related to the management and resolution of disputes through negotiation, generation alternative tools and specialized conflict resolution. Within this group of leaders there are also those who have positioned themselves as theoretical and administrative authorities, women who, thanks to their work, have contributed significantly to the evolution and promotion of the MRC in Colombia and the region.

Gustavo Andrés Piedrahita, director of the Center for Arbitration and Conciliation of the CCB points out that, "Year after year there is a sustained growth in the number of operators that make up the Center's lists, an indicator that increases in parallel with the trust that our users deposit in them to resolve their disputes through conciliation, arbitration, mediation or amicable composition.