If you’re on this site, there’s a good chance that you’re interested in how women fit into the legal community. Let’s face it, women lawyers and law students still have to work a lot harder to be taken seriously in the profession.
Below, you’ll find lots of discussion of different issues women face in the legal profession, and some strategies for overcoming gender bias and harassment.
Gender Bias in Law
- The Challenges For Women In In-House Legal Roles An in-house legal career offers some enticing advantages over the traditional law firm track. If you’re considering taking an in-house legal position, here’s what you can do to confront some of the challenges women face in these positions head-on.
- I'm Sorry to Say This But We Need to Stop Saying I'm Sorry There can be a tendency for some women in particular to overuse the phrase I'm Sorry. While there are certainly valid times to apologize, it may not always be necessary. Christen Morgan explores this issue.
- Gender Bias: What Female Law Students Should Know Gender bias is common in law schools (and the legal profession). Here's what female law students should know.
- Could Stereotype Threat Be Impacting Your Academic Performance? Stereotype threat could be impacting your academic performance in law school, and we explain how.
- Losing the Fear of Being Stereotyped: Surviving as a Young Woman in a Position of Authority There can be challenges with being a young woman starting out her career in a position of authority. Brittany Raposa looks at some of the challenges she's faced in that situation herself and offers some advice for others.
- Gender Bias in Law Schools (And What You Might Be Able to Do About It) Gender bias is currently a fact of life in law school, despite some improvements recently. Kathryn Blair is looking at some steps everyone can take to minimize the impact.
Harassment in the Legal Profession
- One Reason the Legal Profession Is So Screwed Up There seems to be something uniquely lawyer-like in the quest for safety. It's why many lawyers and law students make the decisions they do, and sometimes these aren't the right decisions!
Changes in the Legal Profession
- It's Time for Law Firm Leadership to "Lean In" Should women be "Leaning In," or is the problem elsewhere?
- The More Things Change... Great interview with Kate McGuinness, a legal trailblazer. She started practicing law in 1977, became a BigLaw partner and GC, then left to become a writer and women’s rights activist. Suffice it to say, she’s got some stories to tell!
Female Success in the Legal Profession
- Three Women Who are a Reminder that You can Persevere Christen Morgan looks at the lessons that can be learned from studying the backgrounds of three successful female attorneys.
- Rejecting the Male Definitions of Success Rejecting the male definitions of success may seem radical for some young women lawyers. However, for those young women lawyers who desire to have children and play significant roles in the upbringing of those children, the traditional male definitions of success may not work.
- Why Being a Woman in Law is an Advantage Hillary Vaillancourt discussed how being a woman has been an advantage to her as a lawyer.
- "Lean In" to What? How much should we collectively worry about the dismal retention rates for women (and minorities) in large law firms?
- Notorious RBG: Los Angeles Museum Exhibit Celebrates Trailblazing Supreme Court Justice A new exhibit at the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles explores the life and legal career of iconic Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. “Notorious RBG: The Life and Times of Ruth Bader Ginsburg,” which coincides with the twenty-fifth anniversary of Justice Ginsburg’s appointment to the nation’s highest court, is on display until March 10, 2019.
Work-Life Balance
- Is Balance Possible in the Legal Profession? We Interview Lawyer/Yogi Flynn Coleman Feeling stressed out and unsure of your path? Check out this fantastic interview with a very centered lawyer/yogi.
- If I Could Choose Again, Would I Still Wait To Have Children? If you're thinking about how to balance your career and family, don't miss this story about how one lawyer decided to do it (in a non-traditional way), and why she wouldn't change a thing.
- The Law School Mama: Tips For Balancing a Law School and Family Life For the Non-Traditional Student What is it like to balance law school with having a family? This law school mama shares her story.
- Lessons Learned While Preparing for Parental Leave An attorney shares her experience preparing for her second parental leave and the lessons she learned after her first leave.
- Parental Leave: What to Expect When You Return to Work Whether you’re returning to work after a few weeks, a few months, or even a full year, resuming your professional life as a new parent can be a difficult transition. Everyone will face different challenges depending on their work requirements, financial situation, and family support, but there are a few common scenarios that you can expect to encounter upon returning to work from parental leave.
Law School Transparency's Podcast Series on Women in the Law
- Hey Sweetie: The Practical Impact of Sexism in the Legal Workplace (Plus Podcast) Welcome to Law School Transparency’s podcast mini-series about women in the law. Episode one is about sexism in the legal workplace.
- In the Media: How Women Are Portrayed on TV and in the News (With Podcast) This week’s theme from the Law School Transparency podcast is how women lawyers are portrayed on TV and other media.
- The Leaky Pipeline: LSAT and Law School Applications (With Podcast) This week’s theme is the leaky pipeline for women in the legal profession, which starts even before students enter law school.
- The Leaky Pipeline: Can Women Have a Family In BigLaw? (With Podcast) This week’s theme on the Law School Transparency podcast is dealing with work-life blending issues in the legal profession.
Subject to Interpretation
- Subject to Interpretation: What to Wear? Juliana Siconolfi joins us for a series on a very important, interesting, and under-discussed topic: appearance standards and professionalism.
- Subject to Interpretation: Can We Talk About Fashion? Does it really matter what you wear as a lawyer? Shouldn’t you be judged on how brilliant your briefs are, not on whether your nail polish is chipped or your shirt is wrinkled? Maybe, but we all know that’s not how it works in the real world.
- Subject to Interpretation: Do You Believe in (Fashion) Magic? Can fashion work magic? Maybe, but maybe not.
- Subject to Interpretation: See and Be Seen Did you know that overweight women are more likely to experience discrimination in court? It’s a sad statement, but unfortunately, it is true and is a fact for many women. Juliana shares her experiences in this first-hand account.
- Subject to Interpretation: Leopard-Print Heels Welcome, Not Required Juliana looks at the fashion choices of some high-powered women in the legal profession.
Can We All Get Along?
- Self-Segregation and Why It's a Bad Thing Is it a good idea for women in the law to self-segregate? One guest poster shares her thoughts!
- Why "Get Over It" Isn't Helpful Advice If you spend time in discussions about "women in the law," you’ll pretty quickly run into a particular Type, who will tell you, in response to a valid complaint, to just get over it. Nope!
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