Women in the Law

Meet ‘Lawyer Gaga,’ a Member of the Defense Team in Casey Anthony’s Murder Trial

Although Whitney Boan is reportedly an excellent criminal defense attorney, she’s becoming a household name among those following the Casey Anthony murder trial for another reason: She looks a bit like Lady Gaga, in the celebrity’s least flamboyant moments. Known as “Lawyer Gaga,” Boan can be seen in the background…

Jun 15, 2011 11:40 PM CDT

32 Law Firms Certified for Empowering Women

Thirty-two law firms have received a “Gold Standard Certification” for hiring women equity partners and promoting them to leadership positions. The Women in Law Empowerment Forum certified law firms with more than 100 lawyers that met three of six criteria for percentages of equity partners and leaders, the National Law…

Jun 15, 2011 1:26 PM CDT

Longtime ACC General Counsel Susan Hackett Is Leaving to Form Own Consultancy

As a new CEO takes the helm at the Association of Corporate Counsel this month, replacing retiring president Frederick J. Krebs, the trade group for in-house lawyers is also announcing the planned departure of another longtime executive. Senior vice president and general counsel Susan Hackett is leaving ACC after 22…

Jun 13, 2011 9:19 PM CDT

Young Ex-Associate Sues Aussie BigLaw, Says She Was Fired After Involvement with Firm Solicitor

In a case that is making waves in Australia, a former female associate is going head-to-head with one of the country’s major law firms, contending that she was harassed and fired after becoming “romantically involved” with a Clayton Utz solicitor. In an ongoing lawsuit against the firm, Bridgette Styles alleges…

Jun 8, 2011 6:07 PM CDT

Meet Tina Chappell, Intel In-House Counsel for Whom Working on Patent Appeals Is ‘My Chocolate’

When Tina Chappell went to law school, she knew she wanted to be a patent attorney. Now, as senior litigation counsel at Intel, her job puts her with talented engineers and in-house and outside counsel on federal appeals court and even U.S. Supreme Court cases, work she describes as “really…

Jun 7, 2011 9:43 PM CDT

Calif. Chief Justice Troubled by Pol’s ‘Offensive’ Comment on Her Attractiveness

California Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye says she wouldn’t be offended if someone had commented on her appearance at an awards dinner or some kind of celebration. But she takes issue with comments made by the California Assembly’s majority leader in the context of a substantive hearing on a proposal to…

Jun 3, 2011 4:28 PM CDT

Women Make Inroads in Law School Deanships

In 2009, only 21 percent of law school deanships were held by women. Now females are apparently making some inroads. In recent months, women have landed 40 percent of the open deanship jobs, the National Law Journal reports. The NLJ lists eight new female hires. They include former federal appeals…

May 27, 2011 3:07 PM CDT

Maria Shriver Retains Laura Wasser; Reports Say Potential Schwarzenegger Split Could Involve $400M

Although she hasn’t filed for divorce, Maria Shriver reportedly has retained celebrity attorney Laura Wasser. And she apparently has plenty of money to cover even the heftiest legal bill. Observers speculate that a potential legal split from actor and former California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger could involve up to $400 million…

May 23, 2011 7:14 PM CDT

Fewer Married Women Keeping Maiden Names; Consultant Sees Similar Pattern in Lawyers

Fewer women lawyers today are keeping their maiden names after marriage than those of past generations, one law firm consultant has observed. The Careerist contacted consultant Eve Birnbaum for her take on the issue after noting a report that the keep-your-maiden-name trend peaked in the 1990s. Birnbaum, a former partner…

May 23, 2011 1:56 PM CDT

‘Tax Lady’ Roni Deutch Says She’s Broke, Will Close Her Firm, Surrender Law License, Plans to Cry

An embattled California attorney known as the tax lady says she is broke and is closing her law firm of 20 years, which at one point employed 200 people. Roni Deutch also said in a press conference today that she plans to surrender her license to practice law, reports the…

May 12, 2011 11:00 PM CDT

About 25 Percent of Lawyer Moms Leave the Workplace, Study Finds

About a quarter of lawyer moms leave the workplace, compared to about 6 percent of women with medical degrees. University of Chicago economist Jane Leber Herr noted the differences when analyzing a national survey of college graduates and a sample of Harvard alumnae, the Washington Post reports. Herr found that…

May 9, 2011 2:02 PM CDT

Men Outnumber Women at Most Top Law Schools, But the Imbalance Is Greater at B-Schools

Women pursuing higher degrees are more likely to go law or medical school than business school, but they still make up less than half of the students at most high-profile law schools. Some MBA programs enroll three times as many men as women, Poets and Quants reports. A chart of…

May 9, 2011 12:14 PM CDT

After 1-Year Standoff, NJ Gov and Senate Agree on Plan to Consider State Supreme Court Nominee

Ending a one-year standoff over Gov. Chris Christie’s refusal, in defiance of tradition, to reappoint a sitting state supreme court judge, the New Jersey Senate today marked the one-year anniversary of his nomination of a replacement jurist by announcing that it would consider attorney Anne Patterson for a seat on…

May 3, 2011 5:54 PM CDT

Gender More of an Advancement Hurdle than Race, In-House Survey Finds

Women of color working in corporate legal departments find gender to be more of a barrier to advancement than race, according to a new survey. Fifty-two percent of survey respondents said being a woman was a significant barrier, compared to about 35 percent who said race harmed advancement, the Careerist…

May 3, 2011 11:22 AM CDT

Attorney Hopes to Publicize Her Law Firm by Dancing with ‘Incredibly Talented’ Ballet Star

It could be embarrassing, a Missouri criminal defense attorney admits. But Jennifer Bukowsky is hoping to gain a higher profile for her law firm by participating in Dancing with Missouri Stars later this week. “In my business, I am the product. I have to seize opportunities to get the word…

May 2, 2011 7:47 PM CDT