Obama leads by a mile in women judicial picks, study says

President Barack Obama has successfully appointed more women to the federal bench than any president in history, a new study shows. Forty-two percent of Obama’s judicial appointees have been women, according to a study (PDF) by the liberal-leaning Alliance For Justice. That’s a rate almost double that of former President…

Jun 14, 2013 6:15 PM CDT

Judge creates a stir by developing a dress code for female attorneys

A Tennessee judge has caused a commotion by developing a dress code for female attorneys in Rutherford County. The rumor that it will require pantyhose is false, Circuit Court Judge Royce Taylor told the Tennessean. However, suggestive, revealing or otherwise inappropriate clothing worn by some women lawyers is an issue,…

Jun 13, 2013 5:40 PM CDT

How does she do it? $65M rainmaker says she’s not a natural salesperson

Pepper Hamilton partner Nina Gussack is responsible for $65 million in business, about 20 percent of the law firm’s total revenue. But Gussack says she’s not a natural salesperson. “For me, it’s a challenge every time,” Gussack tells the Careerist. “There’s always that fear of rejection. Getting that first pickle…

Jun 13, 2013 12:19 PM CDT

Law grad, 70, who celebrated 50th wedding anniversary June 1, is now studying for bar exam

Unlike some younger classmates, Sandra Wilson didn’t go to law school for the money. Nor is she worried about balancing a fledgling legal career with marriage and children—at 70, she just celebrated her 50th wedding anniversary June 1 and is a grandmother, the News Herald reports. Now, after earning her…

Jun 12, 2013 10:35 PM CDT

Former BigLaw partner: I faced ‘incredible obstacles’ that male lawyers didn’t have to deal with

A former BigLaw partner who recently settled a lawsuit over the alleged “boys club” at the last major firm for which she worked says it wasn’t just Greenberg Traurig where women lawyers face challenges that their male counterparts don’t. “At every stage,” Francine Griesing told attendees at a Manhattan conference…

Jun 11, 2013 4:00 PM CDT

Author on how ‘tremendously radical’ women blazed trails into the legal profession (podcast)

In the 19th century, women battled for equal rights and began to try to enter many professions, including the law. What drove the first women lawyers? "The critical issue is whether or not they have the personality that makes them ambitious in this tremendously radical and threatening way," says Jill Norgren, author of the new book "Rebels at the Bar: The Fascinating, Forgotten Stories of America’s First Women Lawyers."

Jun 10, 2013 1:45 PM CDT

How to be taken seriously? Recent grads who formed criminal defense firm fight ‘sweetie’ image

Being young isn’t necessarily a disadvantage, according to two criminal defense lawyers in Chicago who formed their law firm after graduating from DePaul law school last year. Katie Kizer, 26, and Amanda Graham, 25, acknowledge there are few young, female criminal defense lawyers starting their own law firms. When they…

Jun 6, 2013 10:59 AM CDT

‘Aggressive’ is not a dirty word for women rainmakers (podcast with transcript)

Should women lawyers be as aggressive–if not more aggressive–as men when it comes to business development? It depends, and much of the answer should be based on what women believe in for themselves, guest tell the ABA Journal’s Stephanie Francis Ward.

Jun 3, 2013 1:45 PM CDT

Meet 6 law firm leaders, each with a different story, each at the top of her game

Reporters’ phone calls steadily interrupted Madeline Cahill-Boley’s first days as managing partner of midsize, San Diego-based law firm Sullivan Hill Lewin Rez & Engel in 2008. And while she knew it would be a topic broached during the interviews, Cahill-Boley wasn’t prepared for the surge of questions about her gender.…

Jun 1, 2013 10:20 AM CDT

Do women’s initiatives work?

Jun 1, 2013 10:10 AM CDT

Letters: Deconstructing the envelope

Jun 1, 2013 9:50 AM CDT

Gender inequity in pay diminishes women’s prospects—and the law profession

Jun 1, 2013 9:40 AM CDT

Inventor attorney finds inspiration for her successful product lines from her own life

Jun 1, 2013 9:30 AM CDT

Ex-partner settles suit claiming ‘boys club’ hogged origination credit at Greenberg Traurig

A former partner has settled her lawsuit contending that male lawyers at Greenberg Traurig hogged origination credit, excluded women from client pitches and favored themselves in work assignments. The suit filed in December by Francine Griesing was settled for an undisclosed amount, report Reuters and the Legal Intelligencer. The would-be…

May 29, 2013 12:53 PM CDT

Fired female patent partner settles Ropes & Gray age and gender discrimination case

A fired female intellectual property partner has settled her federal employment discrimination suit against Ropes & Gray on undisclosed terms. Patricia Martone, who was 63 when she was fired by the firm in 2010, lost out on lucrative retirement benefits to which she would have been entitled at age 65…

May 17, 2013 6:20 PM CDT