Young – therefore inexperienced: how female advocates should respond to stereotypical accusations

Comments regarding age, gender, or appearance made in court can distract a lawyer from defending their client’s interests. Therefore, before responding, it is important to assess the relevance of the remark to the case, determine the limits of what is permissible and decide on the next course of action.

This topic was discussed during the webinar «Thinking outside the box: how to overcome gender and professional stereotypes in modern advocacy», organized by the UNBA NextGen in the Mykolaiv region. The event was moderated by the Committee’s regional representative Iryna Tsybko. The speaker was an expert on combating gender-based violence Iryna Morgun.

She explained that during court proceedings, personal insinuations and accusations regarding competence, young age, or appearance can shift the focus from legal arguments to the attorney’s personal characteristics, create additional pressure, and affect professional communication. In such situations, it is necessary to balance protecting one’s own boundaries with representing the client’s interests.

The sequence proposed by the speaker consists of four steps:

1. Acknowledge the comment and her internal reaction to it, without ignoring her own discomfort.
2. Assess the professional significance of the remark: does it affect the quality of the document, the position expressed or the chosen legal strategy?
3. Determine the boundary: can the comment be ignored without harming yourself or is it unacceptable and requires a response?
4. Choose a course of action — stop the remark, ignore it, or document it; walk away from the situation or escalate it.

During a court hearing, I. Morgun asks not to be interrupted, to let her finish her thought, or not to raise one’s voice. She chooses her response based on the context — whether to be more assertive or calm and monotone.

She also advises steering the conversation back to the subject of the dispute and the legal position. To do this, you can ask what professional significance the comment has, how it affects the case, or which specific professional standard the advocate is failing to meet.

If biased remarks are made during the proceedings, they should be documented. In particular, you can request that they be included in the transcript, file relevant motions, and ask for a ruling. In other situations, the speaker recommended documenting such remarks using screenshots, video and audio recordings in compliance with legal requirements.

When discriminatory or offensive remarks are made by an opposing advocate, I. Morgun suggested considering the option of filing a disciplinary complaint. If biased remarks come from a judge and his actions show signs of a disciplinary offense, a complaint should be filed with the High Council of Justice. In the event of a violation, particularly sexual harassment in the workplace, one should contact the competent authorities, and administrative or criminal liability may apply depending on the circumstances.

An accusation of insufficient competence may be manipulative or an unfounded disparagement, but it may also prove to be justified, since people make mistakes and are not required to know everything.

Therefore, the speaker suggested determining exactly what the advocate does not know in a specific situation, what evidence of their own competence they are ignoring, and who is evaluating their work and by what standard.

And when working, according to I. Morgun, what is needed is not a display of power, but expertise, competence, and quality. These are demonstrated by the ability to pause, ask a precise question, avoid further escalating a conflict if it is harmful, calmly set boundaries and remain focused on the client’s interests.

«Professionalism and expertise have no gender, no age, no hairstyle, no temperament and no tone of voice», - the advocate emphasized.