Women in the Law

Lawyer Battled Ovarian Cancer While Working as SEC Commissioner

Lawyer Elisse Walter had complained to her doctor of pressure on her side before her appointment last year as a commissioner on the Securities and Exchange Commission, but there was no immediate diagnosis. It wasn’t until after she went to work in the new post that Walter learned of her…

Oct 28, 2009 3:24 PM CDT

Ex-Anheuser Exec, a Lawyer, Sues Over Alleged Pay Bias, ‘Frat Party’ Atmosphere

A lawyer who formerly served as a top-ranking female executive at Anheuser-Busch InBev NV has sued the brewery giant for gender bias, contending that it paid women less than men and restricted their opportunities for growth while maintaining a “frat party” atmosphere. Francine Katz, who left the company late last…

Oct 27, 2009 11:54 PM CDT

Wal-Mart to Require Outside Law Firms to Have Flextime Policies

Law firms must have flextime policies if they want to do legal work for Wal-Mart Stores Inc. Wal-Mart associate general counsel Joseph West said his company will add the flextime requirement to its current list of criteria used to evaluate outside law firms, the National Law Journal reports. The retailer…

Oct 27, 2009 4:06 PM CDT

Study Finds ‘Astounding’ Absence of Women in Top Rainmaking Roles

A new study has found that women are “terribly underrepresented” in the ranks of major rainmakers at top U.S. law firms. The study by the National Association of Women Lawyers and the NAWL Foundation asked the nation’s top 200 law firms to list the gender of their top 10 rainmakers.…

Oct 26, 2009 9:50 AM CDT

Lawyer Is High Times’ ‘Freedom Fighter of the Month’

Lawyer Jessica Corry of Colorado is a married, anti-abortion Republican mom who wore a triple strand of pearls and an American flag lapel pin to a recent conference. She is also a speaker and writer dedicated to end laws against marijuana, according to a Jessica Parker column in the Washington…

Oct 23, 2009 3:31 PM CDT

S&C Chair Credits Flexible Policies for Women-Dominated Partnership Class

Sullivan & Cromwell has promoted five lawyers to partnership, and four of them are women. S&C chairman H. Rodgin Cohen told the New York Law Journal that the high-percentage of women is due to policies such as flex-time and maternity leave that are designed to retain more women lawyers. “I…

Oct 23, 2009 11:54 AM CDT

‘Leniency Bias’ in Job Reviews Hampers Women Lawyers, Consultant Says

Too few women lawyers are attaining partnerships, and the reason can be traced to unconscious bias affecting everything from assignments to job evaluations, according to a law firm partner and consultant. Writing in the National Law Journal, Lauren Stiller Rikleen says a lack of clear policies and objective standards can…

Oct 19, 2009 2:35 PM CDT

1st Latina Named to Top Texas Court; Other Hispanics May Soon Be Fed’l Judges

Following the historic appointment today of a Latina to a seat on the Texas Supreme Court, more Hispanics may soon be named to the state’s federal bench. A list made public today by the state’s Democratic delegation to Congress includes four, although no official candidates for the federal bench have…

Oct 8, 2009 9:25 PM CDT

After a Year of Looking, Laid-Off Lawyer Finds a Job—and She Likes It!

Looking for another job was harder than running a marathon, Lynne Zagami says. But, after a year of searching, she has succeeded. Laid off last fall from a $170,000-a-year job as a third-year corporate associate in the Boston office of Brown Rudnick, she is now in her first week at…

Oct 8, 2009 8:58 PM CDT

Philly Lawyer Sues Former Law Firm for Alleged Same-Sex Harassment

A lawyer has sued her former Delaware law firm, alleging that the lawyer who supervised her made inappropriate sexual comments, including observations that she was “sexy” and “dirty hot.” Lawyer Jennifer Braude filed the suit against Maron Marvel Bradley & Anderson, the Legal Intelligencer reports. The supervisor, Meredith Sossman, is…

Oct 8, 2009 4:35 PM CDT

Mom Makes It Work

Her search for balance now helps others

Oct 2, 2009 1:30 AM CDT

How Selling Mary Kay Cosmetics Helped ‘My Pink Lawyer’ in Practice

Her former career selling Mary Kay cosmetics and driving the pink Cadillac that is awarded for doing so successfully helped launch her law practice, a Florida lawyer says. Attorney Kristen Marks got the idea of trademarking her woman-oriented estate-planning practice as My Pink Lawyer from the experience, reports the Gulf…

Oct 1, 2009 5:52 PM CDT

These Lawyer Families Are New Twist on Opt-Out Professionals

A New York Times story suggested in 2003 that there is an opt-out revolution in the making. The newspaper profiled a group of high-achieving Princeton women who decided to leave their jobs, shining a spotlight on professional women who stay at home to raise their children. But the notion of…

Oct 1, 2009 4:02 PM CDT

Partner Says Law Firms Should Take a Cue from Obama, Who Works at Home

President Obama’s home and office—the White House—are one and the same. Of course, the president has plenty of staffers and a place big enough to accommodate them, law firm partner Patricia Gillette writes for the Am Law Daily. Those differences aside, his ability to take a break for family time…

Sep 30, 2009 4:41 PM CDT

For Happy Life, Do What You Want to Do; Lawyer Explains How

The first step to a happy life is to do what you want to do, says a lawyer and former U.S. Supreme Court clerk who has spent a considerable amount of time researching how to be happy for a book on the subject. And, for those who don’t know what…

Sep 24, 2009 11:50 PM CDT