Women in the Law

Tales of 3 generations of Black women intertwine to form ‘Memphis’

A Tennessee lawyer shares how her lawyerly research techniques prepared her to dig into her family’s history to develop characters in her novel focused on three generations of Black women and spanning seven decades.

Sep 27, 2023 8:40 AM CDT

ABA president announces Martin Scorsese, Dolores Huerta to join new speaker series

Beginning in October, ABA members will hear directly from Academy Award-winning director Martin Scorsese, labor rights icon Dolores Huerta and other influential thinkers and trailblazers.

Sep 26, 2023 10:17 AM CDT

Federal appeals judge, 96, suspended after refusing to cooperate in mental fitness probe

A 96-year-old federal appeals judge who may be experiencing “significant mental problems” has been suspended from case assignments for a year after she refused to cooperate in a probe of her fitness for the bench, according to a Sept. 20 order.

Sep 20, 2023 12:47 PM CDT

Former law school dean, known for ensuring ‘people were treated equitably,’ dies after attending university event

JoAnne Epps, the acting president of Temple University and its former law school dean, died Wednesday after becoming ill at a campus memorial service. She was 72 years old.

Sep 20, 2023 12:08 PM CDT

‘I feel proud of myself that I stood up,’ law prof says after $750K bias settlement is approved

A former law professor at the University of Idaho has settled her racial and gender discrimination lawsuit against the school for $750,000 following an October 2022 mistrial in the case.

Sep 18, 2023 2:58 PM CDT

Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar embraces tough task at conservative-leaning Supreme Court

“I often get asked a version of this question: ‘What happens when you know you’re going to lose?’” U.S. Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar said this week in an appearance at the University of Wisconsin Law School. “I’m an incorrigible optimist.”

Sep 14, 2023 1:01 PM CDT

After experiencing ‘the pit,’ Walmart litigation chief quits law practice at age 47

Lawyer Kerri Ruttenberg has said she feels like she’s “getting a second shot at life” after deciding to retire from law practice at age 47.

Sep 13, 2023 9:05 AM CDT

‘Misogynistic’ McElroy Deutsch defamed and retaliated against former executive, amended suit alleges

A fired executive at McElroy, Deutsch, Mulvaney & Carpenter has come out swinging in an amended countersuit claiming that the law firm retaliated against her and made unwarranted assumptions when it accused her of being aware of her husband’s alleged embezzlement.

Sep 7, 2023 9:29 AM CDT

Passion for Justice: Northwestern law prof fights for juvenile rights armed with research

Julie Biehl, an ABA member since 2006, is known as a straight shooter, whose presence fills a room. “She’s a tiny woman, maybe 5’1”, but she is so fiery and so full of passion and just cares,” says Garien Gatewood, deputy mayor for community safety for the city of Chicago.

Sep 6, 2023 10:09 AM CDT

Weekly Briefs: Top firms named for female equity partners; Trump inflated net worth by $2.2B, motion says

These law firms ranked best for female equity partners Three large law firms are reporting that more than 33% of their equity partners are women, according to Law360 Pulse’s 2023 Women in Law Report. They are Littler Mendelson (36.8%), Jackson Lewis (33.8%) and Ropes & Gray (33.1%). Two midsize firms…

Sep 1, 2023 1:56 PM CDT

Onetime SCOTUS contender sues judicial conduct commission, alleging bid to stifle criticism

A North Carolina justice who was once a U.S. Supreme Court contender is alleging that ethics regulators in her state are chilling her First Amendment right to free speech.

Aug 30, 2023 10:43 AM CDT

Stamp honoring Justice Ginsburg will be available in October

The U.S. Postal Service will soon unveil its new stamp honoring the late U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, which celebrates “her groundbreaking contributions to justice, gender equality and the rule of law.”

Aug 29, 2023 9:18 AM CDT

Investigations of federal judges are rare and should happen more, former clerk says

The investigation of federal judges falls under the Judicial Conduct and Disability Act, and it doesn’t happen nearly as often as it should, says the president and founder of the Legal Accountability Project.

Aug 28, 2023 8:16 AM CDT

Kentucky litigator has hot TikTok takes on Bama Rush

As sorority rush week played out at the University of Alabama, the world watched. In August, the hashtag #bamarush reached 3.4 billion views on TikTok, Forbes reports. Brandis Bradley, an eastern Kentucky trial-lawyer-turned-social-media-influencer, watched too. She provided commentary on her TikTok channel.

Aug 24, 2023 12:13 PM CDT

Kirkland & Ellis must face ex-associate’s sex bias claims, federal court says

A former associate in the intellectual property litigation group at Kirkland & Ellis in San Francisco can move forward with her sex discrimination lawsuit against the law firm, a federal judge in California ruled Wednesday.

Aug 24, 2023 10:31 AM CDT