Jennifer Batrouney:

Not only are we good fighters, we’re prepared fighters. We’ve done all the work, we’ve read all the cases. And I’m not saying the blokes don’t, but in my experience woman are better prepared then men.

Lynnette Schiftan:

Because fundamentally you come down to the competition, person to person, who’s the best prepared. Because I believe the preparation wins the case.

Kate McMillan SC:

And I think that the women had a good reputation for being well prepared.

Chief Justice Marilyn Warren:

They are very well prepared, so by the time they come into court, they are entirely on top of their facts as a rule.

Judge Rachel Lewitan:

They have, I believe, given a great deal of thought to the presentation of their cases.

Judge Susan Cohen:

And they’re often more succinct in putting the points they want to put, having their say, and leaving it at that rather then repeating four times over the same point.

Chief Justice Marilyn Warren:

They have given consideration as to what the issue is so that they can state to the court what the issues are - they can discard those matters that are not relevant so that court time is not wasted.

Judge Fran Hogan:

Whereas sometimes male barristers might gloss over certain details, female barristers can bring out elements of hardship or practicality that can really be very significant at times, and I think that those aspects are born of the very peculiar experience that we as women have.

Chief Justice Marilyn Warren:

If you have capable counsel in front of you who can identify the issue, and ensure that the focus and attention of the court is addressed towards that issue, you can then move on to direct the court in the particular direction that you want to take it, and hopefully obtain the conclusion that you’re expecting or hoping to obtain for your client.

Written and Produced by Fiona McLeod SC
Edited and Directed by Sarah McLeod
A Twin Lizards Production
© 2003