Women in the Law

Survey: Young Lawyers Glad They’re Attorneys

Contrary to media reports suggesting widespread lawyer dissatisfaction, a new study of 4,160 individuals who became lawyers in 2000 has found that three out of four say they are either extremely or moderately satisfied with their decision to become an attorney.

Mar 2, 2009 2:20 AM CST

At 14 Law Firms, Partner Promotions in 2008 Didn’t Include Women

Fourteen out of 100 law firms surveyed didn’t include a single woman in their partner promotions last year, but for some the results were an aberration. On the opposite end of the spectrum, 23 of the law firms surveyed had partnership classes of at least 40 percent women, according to…

Feb 25, 2009 4:30 PM CST

Glass Ceiling Shatters in Palestine: 2 Women Become Islamic Court Judges

Women have been police officers, candidates for top political office and even suicide bombers in Palestine. But, until now, they’ve never served on the bench in the territories’ Islamic courts. That glass ceiling was shattered by Khuloud Faqih, 34, and Asmahan Wuheidi, 31, when they stepped up to the bench…

Feb 24, 2009 9:10 PM CST

Law School Sideline Became Main Gig for Fashionista Texas Attorney

Sarah Davis says she loved law school and fully expected to practice. But a funny thing happened on her way to earning her juris doctor degree and a Texas law license. The sideline “gently used” designer handbag resale enterprise she started online as a student, to help pay off her…

Feb 20, 2009 8:40 PM CST

Skadden, Not Retirement, Is Next Career Path for Judith Kaye

New York’s former chief judge, Judith Kaye, will join Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom. The New York Times City Room blog calls Kaye’s decision to join the firm in an of counsel role “a coup” for Skadden. She will work on public interest matters at the law firm, including…

Feb 17, 2009 4:47 PM CST

Laid-Off Lawyer Competes with Other Attorneys for Paralegal Jobs

A 43-year-old Los Angeles lawyer who was laid off from her in-house job more than a year ago still has no permanent job, as unemployment takes a toll on her marriage and her finances. The lawyer, Ellie Trope, has 15 years of experience, but her job search has still been…

Feb 17, 2009 3:22 PM CST

Laid-Off Lawyer Asks Advice Columnist About Nanny Worries

A laid-off lawyer worried about the employment prospects of her nanny has written to a columnist seeking advice about whether to fire the woman. The lawyer told Washington Post style columnist Carolyn Hax that she was laid off in October from “a stressful, truly horrible job at a big law…

Feb 17, 2009 3:05 PM CST

76% of Young Lawyers Glad They’re Attorneys, Study Finds

Contrary to all the media reports about lawyer dissatisfaction, a new study of 4,160 individuals who became lawyers in 2000 has found that 76 percent report they are either extremely or moderately satisfied with their decision to become an attorney. That surprising result is part of the second phase of…

Feb 14, 2009 10:04 PM CST

A New Generation Defines ‘The Office’

Sometimes in the evenings, while her husband watches sports on the flat-screen and her 2-year-old dashes around the family room in his Lightning McQueen pajamas, Elizabeth Stroyd Windsor looks up from her laptop and thinks about her dad. He, too, was a lawyer who would work in front of the…

Feb 9, 2009 6:29 PM CST

Women Lawyers Are Happier Outside of BigLaw, Survey Says

Former large-firm female attorneys are finding career satisfaction and happiness in the law—in second careers as in-house counsel, government attorneys and solo practitioners. The leaky pipeline in the progression of women lawyers from law firm neophytes to equity partners is a common BigLaw problem. However, most women who leave their…

Feb 4, 2009 8:15 PM CST

Fired Over Personal Website, Ex-Associate of Major UK Firm Mulls Options

Fired on Friday from her plum position as an associate in the Moscow office of a major London-based law firm, Deidre Dare spent the weekend recuperating. But now the 40-something former Allen & Overy associate is already exploring other options, including but not limited to writing a “Sexpat” column for…

Feb 4, 2009 4:23 AM CST

Judicial Diversity is Lacking, But Here’s What to Do to Improve, Report Says

Women and minorities are still underrepresented on the state trial and appellate court bench, regardless whether the judges are elected or appointed to their positions. But there are things that can be done to include their chances of winning seats proportionate to their representation in the general population, according to…

Feb 2, 2009 9:13 PM CST

Ex BigLaw Associate: I Was Arrested By Law Firm Fashion Police

While working as a fifth-year associate at a BigLaw firm in New York, Tracey Batt thought her black leather ankle boots, black leather trench coat and dark-colored “mannish” pantsuits with long jackets looked just fine as business-casual attire. But her law firm thought otherwise. An office encounter with several superiors…

Jan 27, 2009 8:18 PM CST

How NY Lawyer Became the Pie Lady

Felicia Klein Fisher grew up in the New York City suburbs, hoping and expecting to be a lawyer. After graduating from St. John’s University School of Law in 1995 and spending more than a decade as a commercial litigator in Manhattan, she wasn’t looking to start a small business in…

Jan 23, 2009 7:51 PM CST

Next NY Senator is a Lawyer, But Not a Kennedy or a Cuomo

An upstate congresswoman from New York who once worked at two different well-known law firms is expected to be appointed to replace former Sen. Hillary Clinton. Expected to be named today, Rep. Kirsten Gillibrand was elected to Congress after a career in law, the New York Daily News reports. She…

Jan 23, 2009 3:44 PM CST