Women in the Law

Who Will Replace Souter? Today’s News

ABAJournal.com: “Dueling YouTube Clips: Potential High Court Nominees vs. PI Lawyers “ ABAJournal.com: “Colo. Judge Says She Was Approached About Supreme Court Seat “ Caucus (New York Times): “Granholm’s in the House, Leading to Supreme Court Chatter” Detroit News: “Granholm didn’t meet privately with Obama at White House” Front Row…

May 19, 2009 9:58 PM CDT

Keker & Van Nest Power Struggle Led to Defections

Lawyers from Keker & Van Nest and a new law firm of defecting lawyers have made polite public statements about the split, but beneath the surface lies bitterness over a power struggle. The Daily Journal (sub. req.) conducted more than two dozen interviews and learned that Daralyn Durie left the…

May 15, 2009 3:32 PM CDT

Why Women Lawyers Leave: A Quest for Flexible Work and Supportive Environments

Dissatisfaction with work-life balance is pushing women lawyers in New Jersey out the door and into new jobs, a survey has found. Most of the respondents—almost two-thirds—said they were satisfied with their ability to integrate their work and personal lives and the predictability of their hours, according to a press…

May 14, 2009 3:58 PM CDT

Who Will Replace Souter? Today’s News: Obama Narrows Choices, Wants Empathy

CNN: “Sources: High court selection process down to finalists” Associated Press: “Possible SupCo Nominee in the Spotlight at Hearing” Atlanta Journal-Constitution: “Chief Justice Sears to join Chicago law firm” Los Angeles Times: “Americans not concerned with diversity on Supreme Court, poll shows” Washington Post: “Obama Makes Empathy a Requirement for…

May 13, 2009 10:18 PM CDT

What Gender Gap? Many Women Lawyers w/ Kids Do as Well as Men, Researcher Says

It may not be whether women lawyers have children but how much they focus on their families that accounts for a widely reported gender gap between the salaries and partnership prospects of male and female attorneys at many law firms. A study of data concerning graduates of the University of…

May 13, 2009 12:14 AM CDT

Michelle Obama: Why I Left BigLaw

Working as an associate on the 47th floor of a Chicago BigLaw firm’s offices, Michelle Obama initially thought she had gotten where she wanted to be in life. But her father’s death, as well as the death of a young friend, made her rethink her career priorities, the First Lady…

May 12, 2009 11:40 PM CDT

Most Bullies are Men, But Women Tend to Target Other Women

In the legal profession, as in the world of work in general, women are underrepresented in top-level positions. And one reason why may be that they are the target of bullying, according to a lengthy article in the New York Times. Bullying behavior is considered to include not only yelling…

May 11, 2009 4:54 PM CDT

Who Will Replace Souter? Today’s News: Appoint a Woman; Souter’s Farewell

Associated Press: “Conservative Sessions Leads Court Nomination Fight” Caucus (New York Times): “For Justice Pick, Sessions Less Likely to Use Filibuster” ABAJournal.com: “2005 Sotomayor Speech May Raise Conservative Eyebrows” Boston Globe: “High court pick should be a woman” USA Today: “Ginsburg: Court needs another woman” Associated Press: “Souter bids fond,…

May 6, 2009 11:00 PM CDT

What if Washington Listened When Brooksley Born Sounded Alarms About Unregulated Markets?

Shortly after she was named to head the Commodity Futures Trading Commission in 1996, Brooksley E. Born was invited to lunch by Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan. The influential Greenspan was an ardent proponent of unfettered markets. Born was a powerful Washington, D.C., lawyer with a track record for activist…

May 6, 2009 6:49 PM CDT

Vice Chair of Howrey Dies at 53

The vice chair of Howrey, Cecilia Gonzalez, has died from breast cancer at the age of 53. Gonzalez was a highly respected lawyer who practiced before the International Trade Commission, according to The BLT: The Blog of Legal Times. She represented companies and technology clients in intellectual property litigation before…

May 5, 2009 3:58 PM CDT

The Born Prophecy

More than a decade ago, Brooksley Born warned that unregulated financial markets were getting out of hand. Now many in Washington wish they’d listened.

May 2, 2009 4:30 AM CDT

Meet Chrysler’s Bankruptcy Lawyer, Corinne Ball

Chrysler is expected to file for bankruptcy after the collapse of negotiations with creditors that were led by the automaker’s lawyer, Corinne Ball. The bankruptcy filing will likely be in New York, according to the New York Times. Those who work with Ball describe her as charismatic, strong, creative and…

Apr 30, 2009 2:47 PM CDT

Women Lawyers Feel Betrayed When Female Bosses Aren’t Nurturing

Experts who study women in the legal profession are noting that the idea of a sisterhood of female lawyers isn’t always the reality in the workplace. Women expect female bosses to be nurturing, and the result can be feelings of betrayal when the reality is different, the Am Law Daily…

Apr 30, 2009 2:16 PM CDT

Downturn Will Make Firms More Hospitable for Women, Partner Argues

A lawyer who spearheaded a project to retain female lawyers sees the economic downturn as an opportunity for law firms to change their business methods and become more hospitable for women. Right now, law students are in a weaker bargaining position and partners are less likely to leave. And those…

Apr 28, 2009 1:03 PM CDT

Patent Lawyer Who Became Schoolteacher Has New Frustrations

A patent lawyer who decided to escape law firm life for more time with her family nearly gave up on her new profession as a schoolteacher. Lisa Johnson, a 35-year-old Yale law graduate with four children, practiced for five years before making the career switch, the Washington Post reports in…

Apr 27, 2009 5:58 PM CDT