Jogi ismeretek | Felsőoktatás » Female Attorneys, Breaking Barriers in Stride

Source: http://www.doksinet FEMALE ATTORNEYS BREAKING BARRIERS IN STRIDE There is no question that times have certainly changed for female attorneys in America. In the past few decades in particular, women have made significant strides in the legal profession. Women now make up roughly 50% of all law school students. In fact, the enrollment of female students even exceeds that of males in many law schools across the country. This is a stark difference than the way things were fifty years ago. When the Honorable Ann Aldrich graduated from New York University School of Law in 1950, she was the only graduating woman in her class. Despite graduating second in her class of 179 men, she received countless letters from the top law firms indicating that while her credentials were outstanding, they were unable to offer her a job as their clients would not have confidence in a female. Despite such setbacks, in 1980, Judge Aldrich was the first female attorney appointed to Federal District Court

in Ohio. Not to mention, at the time, she was the proud mother of four sons. While Judge Aldrich has served as a pioneer for women among our profession, other women across the board have made changes in our profession one step at a time. While our stories may not be dramatic victories, they are certainly that of triumph. Yet, despite our successes over the past few decades, there are still hurdles and barriers women must learn to overcome. For instance, one study showed that while women make up 50% of law school graduates, they only comprise approximately 30% of practicing lawyers and only 17% are partners at major law firms. Another study indicated that women account for 45% of attorneys in the Nation’s 200 largest law firms, but comprise 16% of equity partners at those firms. The natural question then becomes where are these law school graduates going? According to one study, a trend was noted amongst women for leaving law firms for corporations, government positions, non-profit

and educational institutions. Of course, many women are simply choosing to leave the law altogether. While a number of reasons may account for this trend, the obvious one is the need for women to spend more time with family. This balancing act of work and family life rings true in almost any field a woman chooses to practice. However, this tough balance is especially true for female litigators as they encounter the dilemma of juggling the demands of family with their highly demanding area of practice. Of course, litigators who are fathers also struggle with finding this balance, however, the burden of family responsibilities still tends to fall disproportionately on women. Litigators at top firms are expected to bill anywhere between 1,800 to 2,100 hours of actual work per year. Part-timers are often seen as bad deals as their overheard costs equal a full-timer’s While women want to move ahead in their careers as well as have families, they can’t expect law firms to turn a blind

eye to their profitability. So what are they to do? Creative thinking is paramount to reshaping the legal profession. While firms are reluctant to embrace change, many firms are realizing that the only way to retain talent among their female attorneys is to revolutionalize and transform what has been historically known as a rigid field based on the billable hour. Embracing change includes the ability of providing female attorneys with flexible schedules With the technology available today, there is no reason why lawyers, male or female, should not be able to design a schedule that allows them to work around family life. Devices such as blackberries and aircards now make it possible to work outside your office. Methods and technology such as forwarding your phone calls and receiving faxes directly to your email also allow attorneys to be easily accessible while outside the office. Some firms across the country have even gone beyond the simple step of allowing attorneys to keep a more

flexible schedule as a means to try and recruit and retain talented female attorneys. For instance, my very own law firm, Reminger Co. LPA, has allowed part-time women to share one docket to help facilitate their schedules. Another unique concept to the legal field, Reminger has embraced the Source: http://www.doksinet idea of alternate fee arrangements with clients. Instead of billing clients by the hour, they are billed a flat fee amount for each case or an annual flat fee per client. While this is certainly advantageous to the client as they are in the unique position of being able to precisely budget their legal fees, this allows female attorneys to be rewarded by not how much they work, but rather how well they work – quite a unique and alternative concept in our filed. Effective change certainly does not occur overnight. Through group efforts, leadership support, and visionaries, change is inevitable. While trickling change has certainly occurred over the past few decades,

it is now time for women to truly come together and break the barriers that impede their ability to rise to the top. While Judge Aldrich may have began this fight when she graduated from law school in 1950, female attorneys practicing today must climb to the top of their firms by presenting creative alternate means that allows them to enjoy a flexible work schedule while still allowing their firms to profit