Women Lawyers' Mother's Day Project Receives National Award

The National Conference of Women's Bar Associations has awarded the Hawaii Women Lawyers' and Hawaii Women's Legal Foundation's Mother's Day Project with the 2009 Public Service Award. The Mother's Day Project provides children in foster homes, domestic violence shelters, homeless shelters, or living with relatives, with Mother's Day gifts to give to foster mothers, biological mothers and grandparents.

To read more about this project click here.

Who goes to Law School? Why?

For many years, the number of female law school applicants was on the rise. In the last five years that number has plateaued. Then at last week's Summit in Austin two second tier law school deans mentioned that they received too few female applicants this year to maintain previous gender . This is not a pipeline problem: the majority of college graduates in the last few years have been women. There was speculation that declining applications reflect women's increased interest in business and medicine rather than some problem women have with the legal profession.

Periodically, Kaplan surveys its LSAT-prep clientele. This year's sample of 1,040 students was "about 50/50" male/female respondents, accoridng to Russell Schaffer, Kaplan's Senior Communications Manager. On the face of it that's encouraging - at least half of the folks pursuing LSAT prep courses are women.

Nominate a Woman to the Supreme Court

Last week, I had the privilege of attending the Women's Power Summit on Law and Leadership at the University of Texas.  One of the most exciting experiences while attending was hearing firsthand from Justice Sandra Day O'Connor on the struggles she's faced as a woman in the legal profession.  One of the things Justice O'Connor discussed was her disappointment that there was not more of a movement to replace her on the Court with a woman.  That very same night, the news of Justice Souter's retirement was announced.  As noted in Jessie's earlier post about the summit, a resolution was passed urging President Obama to appoint a woman to replace Justice Souter on the Court.

To me, wanting another woman on the Court seems totally self explanatory.  Which is why I was shocked when I turned on the radio last night and Mark Levin was on discussing the Supreme Court and said something along the lines of "who cares about genitalia- it's what's between the ears, not between the legs that matters."  And of course, this was not about supporting women because they are equals- it was basically an argument that gender shouldn't be considered because it makes no diffrerence in how cases are decided.  And I thought to myself, seriously, why doesn't he get it?

Ms. JD Weekly Roundup: Week Ending May 8, 2009

Barbara Bearnson Named 'Woman Lawyer of the Year'

Coalition of Lawyers Fosters Diversity

High Court Pick Should Be a Woman

Supreme Court Watchers Eye Sonia Sotomayor

Is the 'Sisterhood' Over for Women Lawyers?

Top Women Lawyers Call for President Obama to Select Woman to Supreme Court

New Jersey Women Lawyers Association Honors Sills Cummis & Gross Partner

End of the 'Sisterhood' for Women Lawyers?

Recently, Vivia Chen wrote a piece for the American Lawyer entitled 'The End of Sisterhood.'  In that article, she examines whether women lawyers are really as united as they make out to be.  As Chen posits: "[W]omen -- particularly their immediate superiors -- can be [fellow women lawyers'] worst tormentors." 

Hearing stories about how women can be particularly hard on members of their own sex is nothing new.  Chen explains this phenomenon, however, by chalking the lack of 'sisterly support' up to misplaced expectations.  "Women expect other women to be more empathetic and nicer -- or at least they hope they'll be," she states.

SuperWomen JDs and What You Can Learn From Them: Featuring Katherine B. Edwards of Alexandria, Virginia

Bio for this week's Superwoman JD:

Katherine B. Edwards has been practicing law for over twenty-five years and is known as one of the best energy attorneys in Washington D.C.  Kathie earned her J.D. in 1981 from the University of Texas and also earned a Masters degree from Memphis State University.  She has authored several law review articles and has chaired and co-chaired several Energy Bar committees.  Currently, Kathie runs her own practice, Edwards and Associates, where she primarily focuses on work with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC).

1.      How has being a woman affected your career or legal education?

I graduated from college in 1969 and from law school in 1980, so I was a little older when I started law school than most women today.  This was during the time that male-dominated professions were opening up for women.  This was especially true in Washington DC, because the government was more willing to hire women than private firms or companies.  I always knew I wanted to be a lawyer, and being a woman did not occur to me as a disadvantage or advantage.  By the time I got to law school, my class was about 30% women.  It is my understanding that in most law schooIs today, the percentages are even or there are slightly more women than men.  I have always enjoyed the challenges of working in a male-dominated environment, but I also think being a woman has helped my career.  I believe, for the most part, that women tend not to get so hung up on ego, and are more focused on a bottom-line, practical solution to a client’s problem.

Ms. JD Board member honored with Pinnacle Award

Ms. JD would like to congratulate one of our founding board members,Karen Hernandez, who was honored on April 29, 2009 with a PinnacleAward in the Individual in Services category from Athena San Diego.

Center for Women in Law Launched at UT

This week the University of Texas School of Law launched the Center for Women in Law with a Women's Power Summit on Law and Leadership. An astonishingly accomplished group of women, among them at least three people on "the short list" and Justice O'Connor, were present. The first byproduct of the gathering was this Manifesto, which sets a goals for the profession, including reaching 30 percent of equity partnerships, tenured law professorships
and general counsel posts by 2012, with no less than 10 percent of those positions being held by minority women by 2020. The more immediate result of the Summit was a resolution calling on the President to appoint a woman to fill the seat that will be vacated by Justice Souter's retirement.

Look for Ms. JD and the Center to collaborate on new projects in the coming months!

Event Announcement: Backpack to Briefcase

Backpack to Briefcase
A  Transitional Program for Law Students, Recent Graduates  and Junior Associates   
  
Hosted by: New York City Bar -  House of the Association
42  West 44th Street, New York
Thursday, April 30th,  2009
8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
 
New York City Bar and The National Association of  Women Lawyers (NAWL), along with Co-sponsors the North  American South Asian Bar Association (NASABA) and Ms.  JD, are pleased to present: "From Backpack to Briefcase  ®   A Transitional Program for Law Students,  Recent Graduates and Junior Associates." This event is a  transition program for law students, new graduates and  junior associates who have recently moved or will be  moving from the classroom to the workplace.  The  program is especially important in these turbulent  economic times and will focus on real life experiences  and practical suggestions on how to manage your career,  deal with senior colleagues and clients and survive real  work situations.  Panelists will be practicing  women attorneys from diverse backgrounds and levels of  authority.

Book Review: 'The Insider's Guide to Getting a Big Firm Job'

This year, Erika Finn and Jessica Olmon, two attorneys practicing law in Los Angeles, published a book entitled 'The Insider's Guide to Getting a Big Firm Job.'  This book is intended to serve as a comprehensive guide for law students who are interviewing for Big Law jobs, and it fulfills this role very well.

The authors have organized the book into eighteen main sections.  These sections range from inciting law students to ask themselves whether Big Law is right for them, to advising 3Ls on how their interview experiences as non-2Ls may be different.  The authors also include sample resumes and cover letters - very useful tools for the job-seeking law student.

How to Become a Law Professor -- The Move from Big Law to Academia

Professor William B. Rubenstein of Harvard Law School will be conducting a half-day seminar on June 20, 2009 in New York City to help those who are interested in making the transition from private practice to legal academia. Visit http://billrubenstein.com/seminar.html for more details!

Superwomen JDs and What You Can Learn From Them: Featuring Penny Berger of Lincoln NE

Bio for this weeks Superwoman JD: Penny Berger received her Bachelors and Masters degrees from Columbia University.  She then went on to complete her PhD from the University of Chicago, followed by a J.D. from the University of Nebraska.  After graduating from law school at the top of her class and participating as associate editor of her law review, Penny Berger took a job with Rembolt Ludtke, LLP and became one of the first women to make partner in Lincoln, Nebraska.  After 29 years of private practice, she was asked to become the Dean of University College at Nebraska Wesleyan University in Lincoln, where she positively influenced the future generation of leaders.  Now Penny is “retired” but involved in many profession activities such as Volunteer Staff Attorney for the Nebraska Appleseed Center for Law in the Public Interest, the Pro Se Project of the Nebraska Bar Association and Legal Services of Nebraska.  She is also a tutor for at risk law students at the University of Nebraska.  These are just a few of her community involvements.  As you can see, she keeps busier than most people with a full time job and is a true community leader and mentor. 
  
1. How has being a woman affected your career or legal education?
I know it sounds crazy today, but when I went to law school, gender had not yet become a protected class under the Constitution.  Professors felt free to say sexist things openly in class (“Women can never be trial laywers”—Roger Henderson); employers asked the most personal questions at job interviews (“Are you on birth control?”) and clients didn’t have any idea how to treat you and if they didn’t know you, often mistook you for clerical staff.

Supply and Demand

I spend a fair amount of time considering why it is that women are so under represented in the partnerships of large law firms. I do this as a semi-professional endeavor but also due to my own self-interest as a junior associate who (1) intends to make partner in a few years and some day be involved in the management of my current firm and (2) wonders if there is something that I am not anticipating that will drive me from practice as has happened to so many partnership tracked women ahead of me.

One of the key pieces of this equation is child bearing/rearing -- I know this is no great revelation as anyone with a brain and eyes can see that more women leave practice due to child-raising conflicts than men.  However, I have also been a believer that programs for re-entry into the profession after having taken some time to have and raise kids is a critical part of solution to keeping women in the profession.

In This Economic Downturn, Now Is the Time to Prioritize Diversity and Mentorship

In a recent article written by Carl Cooper, for 'The Complete Lawyer,' Cooper argues that law firms are really missing the point in this economic downturn if they are focusing solely on increasing profits.  "If law firms were ever serious about retention, now is the time to prove it. Instead of hoarding billables for themselves, partners with time on their hands should use this period to boost their individual mentoring skills and help develop different associates who may be the future client base of tomorrow," Cooper points out.

While law firms are increasingly showing their will to become more diverse and inclusive of a greater cross-section of law school graduates, the diversification process is far from being over.  Law firms, Cooper argues, still need to attract both women and minority attorneys.  "Women associates leave because they see few if any women partners who reflect a 'balance of life' success story. Instead, they see variations of the theme—the male model with lipstick. What they need to see is a sea change in attitude about part-time partnership opportunities," states Cooper.  What ultimately has to happen, according to Cooper, is a "cultural change" at the firm, and this is no different despite the current economic climate.

'Diverse' Analyzes Female Leadership in America's Leading Law Schools

Diverse, a forum dealing with issues in higher education across America, has released an article dealing with female leadership in law schools.  According to Diverse, as of the 2006-2007 academic year, "47 out of the 200 American Bar Association-approved U.S. law schools were being led by women," as reported by the ABA.

As part of their study, Diverse also interviewed some of those women law school deans.  To read those interviews, click here.