Women in the Law

Advice for Women in Mostly Male Offices: Be Assertive, Not Servile

Women working in male-dominated offices need to speak assertively and refrain from appearing servile, experts say. Women shouldn’t begin phrases with “I think” and shouldn’t apologize when they do nothing wrong, experts told the Wall Street Journal. They should be direct, confident and remove “traces of tentativeness” from their speech.…

Dec 2, 2008 3:16 PM CST

Kid Stuff

Linda Rost was a research scientist in recombinant DNA technology before becoming an associate at Ropes & Gray in Palo Alto, Calif.

Dec 2, 2008 4:00 AM CST

‘On Being a Black Lawyer’ Blogger Reaches Out to Minorities

Yolanda Young, the former Covington & Burling staff attorney who chronicled her experience there in the Huffington Post piece, “Law Firm Segregation Reminiscent of Jim Crow,” offers a new forum for minority lawyers on her blog, On Being a Black Lawyer. Young, who grew up impoverished in the Deep South…

Nov 25, 2008 5:53 PM CST

Despite ‘Momification’ - Michelle Obama’s White House Role May Be a Career Plus

Now that she is about to become First Lady, one might think from news coverage that Michelle Obama’s abilities as a mother and her fashion sense are her most noteworthy characteristics. But despite what some are calling the “momification” of Michelle Obama, whether her new role is a career plus…

Nov 24, 2008 6:48 PM CST

Author Blames Yale and ‘Having a Good Time’ for Failing NY Bar

A famous Yale Law School graduate who has written books about her struggles with depression and addiction has failed the New York bar exam. Elizabeth Wurtzel blamed the failure partly on Yale Law School and partly on her study habits, the New York Observer reports. Wurtzel has written the books…

Nov 20, 2008 2:00 PM CST

Reed Smith Gets Thelen Labor Group, Confirms Thelen Energy Hire

Reed Smith has announced that it has captured a premier labor and employment group from the dissolving Thelen firm. Headed by Linda Husar and Thomas Hill, the five-partner and four-associate Thelen group “will clearly strengthen our capabilities on the West Coast” and enhance their new firm’s growing transactional practice in…

Nov 19, 2008 8:49 PM CST

In Equity Partner Ranks, Men Earn an Average of $87K More than Women

Women lawyers at large law firms earn less than their male counterparts at all levels, but the difference is especially pronounced among equity partners, according to a new survey. On average, women earn $7,000 less in annual pay than men at the associate level, $14,000 less if they are of-counsel,…

Nov 18, 2008 2:50 PM CST

Holland & Knight’s Women Lawyers Buy Kitchen Gadgets, Benefit Charity

Women lawyers at Holland & Knight bought bundt pans and mixing bowls while mingling with clients last night at their annual women’s initiative outing in Manhattan. The cocktail party was held at the discounted cooking store Broadway Panhandler to benefit Women in Need, a group that runs women’s homeless shelters,…

Nov 14, 2008 1:23 PM CST

11 of 44 Chicago Law Firms Met Female Partner Goal

Updated: A Chicago Bar Association program aimed at increasing the number of women in law firm partnership ranks is being criticized for being too lenient in crediting law firms for improvement. The “Call to Action” program found that 11 out of 44 Chicago law firms met their pledge to increase…

Nov 4, 2008 4:18 PM CST

Ex-Heller Partner: Women Lawyers Were ‘Canaries in the Coal Mine’

A former Heller Ehrman partner who spearheaded a project to retain women lawyers has been doing some thinking about why law firms dissolve. Patricia Gillette, an employment lawyer, leaped to Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe last October for what she describes as “cultural reasons.” At Heller, she founded the Opt-In Project…

Nov 3, 2008 8:56 PM CST

Sue: A New Magazine for Women Litigators

A new magazine focused on women lawyers and their practices “Sue: For Women in Litigation” is set to debut in January. The legal tabloid Above the Law first blogged about the magazine in August when it got hold of some of the publication’s early focus group data. Back then, the…

Nov 3, 2008 8:42 PM CST

Ex-LA Prosecutor’s $1.5M Award Axed; She Was the Problem, Appeals Panel Says

A California appeals court has overturned a $1.5 million discrimination verdict awarded to a former Los Angeles prosecutor. Lynn Magnandonovan claimed she was retaliated against by City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo and other supervisory employees before being wrongfully terminated in 2002, after she complained of sex discrimination and blew the whistle…

Oct 31, 2008 6:13 PM CDT

S.C. Inmate Objects to Female Lawyer; State Supreme Court Clerk: Get Over It

Unhappy that a female lawyer had been appointed to represent him in an appeal, a South Carolina inmate wrote to various officials seeking to have a different attorney appointed to his case. The request resulted in a personal letter (PDF) to the inmate from the clerk of the Supreme Court…

Oct 30, 2008 8:35 PM CDT

NY Associate among Professionals Visiting Tailors Instead of Clothes Stores

Some tailors in Manhattan are reporting an increase in business as professionals decide to repair the clothes they have rather than buying new. Several tailors told the New York Times that business has increased 20 percent since September. One of those becoming more frugal during the economic downturn is Kim…

Oct 27, 2008 3:11 PM CDT

Study of Mich. Law Grads Finds Lawyer Moms Earn Up to 35% Less

Updated: Lawyer moms earn up to 35 percent less than lawyer dads, according to a study of University of Michigan law grads. Results of the draft study (PDF) found that male law grads who became fathers enjoyed a “daddy bonus” in salaries that were 15 percent to 20 percent higher…

Oct 21, 2008 2:55 PM CDT