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Applying As a Woman1,2
Choosing
where to study law can be a tedious task, but when you finally
find the right law school, you will be happy. Right? Well,
according to Ian Van Tuyl, author of Best Law Schools,
this may not be the case. Fortunately, there is something
that you can do about it. If you are considering applying to
law school, especially if you are a woman, there are a few
things that you should learn about before deciding which
school suits you best.
Many people feel that the higher the level of education,
the more equality experienced between men and women. There
will be lower levels of inappropriate behaviors and comments,
sexual harassment, and unfair practices. Everyday, female law
students are surprised by the fact that this assumption is not
necessarily true.
As stated
before, there are some precautions you can take to lessen the
probability of this happening to you once in your chosen
school of law.
1) Pick up
a copy of books Becoming Gentlemen: Women’s Experience at
One Ivy League Law School, by Lani Guinier and The
Legal Education of Twenty Women, by Catherine Weiss and
Louise Melling. These two books outline the experience of
women law students at top tier schools. You may be shocked by
the way women are treated at some institutions.
2) Before
applying to any law school, check some statistics pertaining
to women at each school you are interested in. It would be
valuable to know the percentage of women on law review, and
the percentage of women tenure professors. This will enable
you to see how often women advance as both students and
professors.
3) You
should visit the law schools and try to talk to female
students and professors. Ask their opinions about the
treatment they receive there, and whether they are content
studying or teaching at that particular school.
4) This
last suggestion may be difficult to accomplish, but it is
highly advised that you do your best in finding any gender
studies the school may have published about itself. If you do
get your hands on one, skim through it just to get a general
idea of the dynamics at the law school, as pertaining to the
female population.
Failing to
do any of these things before applying to law school may deter
your chances of receiving a beneficial education. When
considering each law school, conduct your own gender study for
each one by researching all available information. This may
seem like an overwhelming amount of extra work, but it will
pay off later when you attend a law school where you can be
more confident that both genders are able to succeed;
otherwise, your law school experience may be a waste of your
time, energy, and money.
Minority
Perspectives - Women and Law3,4,5
| “Women-
like minorities- are making extremely slow progress into the
ranks of law firms… Women now account for 15.8 percent of
partners at major law firms, up from 12.7 percent in 1993.
The goals of the profession at large in terms of becoming more
diverse are not being achieved” - Pre Law Insider |
The amount
of women enrolled at top-tier law schools have undoubtedly
increased tremendously over the past few decades.
Unfortunately, this level of achievement for women has not
carried over to the workplace once these students begin
practicing law. The progress women have made in the legal
profession in the last three decades is creditable, yet there
is still a long way to go. Two separate studies, done by the
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and Catalyst,
examine the progress of women within the legal profession.
Equal hiring practices, once a central issue to working women,
is no longer the major employment concern within the legal
profession. Currently, the failure to promote women to
partnership has taken precedence. Women are granted fewer
advancement opportunities in major law firms, specifically to
the level of partner, than their male counterparts.
The study
done by Catalyst has also confirmed that corporate legal
departments do not offer women any significantly higher level
of advancement opportunities than law firms. "Counter to what
many people believe, this [Catalyst] study shows that for
women, the culture of in-house legal departments is reported
to be no more conducive to a balanced personal and
professional life than are firms."4 Over two-thirds
of women and almost half of the men that participated in the
Catalyst study felt that commitment to family responsibilities
is the largest hurdle women face in advancement. Women’s
careers are confronted with choices that most men's are not.
As a result of this commitment, combined with fewer
advancement opportunities, law firms and corporate legal
departments are more likely to lose their female lawyers.
Fortunately, this is preventable if employers attempt to make
a change. Chair Dominguez made some valuable suggestions
that I have listed below in Suggestions for Improvement
that may serve as a jumping off point for equality in the
legal profession, specifically as it relates to the promotion
of women to partner status.
All these
issues need to be addressed, but progress will be slow. Until
women are granted equal opportunities in the legal profession,
employer retention of women will become increasingly more
challenging and sacrificial. According to Martha W. Barnett,
Former President of the American Bar Association, “Women are
the emerging majority in the legal profession. The law firms
and corporate legal departments that want to be successful in
the future need to focus on recruitment, retention, and
advancement of women”.4
Suggestions for Improvement3
The problem
women still face in the workplace, regarding equal salary and
advancement opportunities, will not change over night. There
are certain things that can be done that may aid, at least
partially, this situation. Such suggestions for improvement
include (As spoken by Chair Dominguez (EEOC) during her speech
to the ABA)
1) A
greater focus on diversity in the recruitment and hiring
process
2)
Increased mentoring and training opportunities
3)
Addressing the pervasive problem of attrition, especially for
women of color
4)
Providing more management authority at the partner level
5) Offering
family-friendly policies and flexible work options
Eventually,
women will reach a point in the field of law that they will
receive equal opportunity, along with the guidance and aid
that is imperative in reaching their success in both the
professional and personal aspects of their lives. The
movement however has made only incremental changes in the past
decade. I feel that these are
serious issues that need to be given more attention. I am
making it one of my goals to be a part of this transition, and
hopefully make some sort of a difference for all women in the
legal profession. |
Women and Law - Controversy and
Discrimination