Biography
Carmen Thornton, partner at Thornton & Kautz Rechtsanwälte; is a specialist in family law. She is also author of a column on family law in one of Austria’s largest newspapers “Der Standard” and on national TV (ORF). With her media presence she encourages especially young women to stand up for their rights and not to shy away from advocacy or other top jobs and combine work with parenthood. Carmen Thornton has been awarded multiple times, including the Justitia Award 2020 (Category “Game changer/ Young Pioneer national”), Promoting the Best Award (Outstanding Legal Person of the Year 2020) and has been voted as one of “Top 10 Family Lawyers” by Trend Magazine.
The law has been a men’s game. And it needs changing. Women do net need to emulate men to be professional or competent. Femininity is neither advantage nor disadvantage – it is a fact, and we are allowed to embrace it. That is what I have done in my professional life and I want to encourage other women to do the same, in their own individual way. I want to show them that women can be seen as professional and competent and still embrace their femininity. That having a family and a career is not a contradiction. The success of the Women in Law Initiative is a signal: that the law as a profession is aware of those societal changes and is willing to actively take part in them.
photo ©carmenthornton