Women In Law School

[dontcha]

Do you think there is competition between men and women in the law field and why? Have you or someone you know experienced gender bias in the class room?

[matarese]

The convential wisdom is that women and the law do not mix. Never have and they never will! Their brains are like 1/3 the size of man's. I was told by an older female law school graduate that they are the group of law grads that have the least choice in finding a decent job. One particular woman who graduated in the top 5% from one of the top schools in the nation told me that she tried so hard to get a job, but ended up doing some part time pro bono work and that one should go into law with eyes wide open. It may not be written out for all to see, but the general understanding is that that if you are an older female (>30 yrs of age) you will have the hardest time in the field of law.

[monastern]

Do you think there is competition between men and women in the law field and why? Have you or someone you know experienced gender bias in the class room?

As to that gender "bias" -- or what I call "normalcy" or "wayitshouldbey" -- Y'all yankees what with your equal rights and your civil rights and all kinds of rights. What about the rights that God gave us, as men? Where did those rights go? Strong men! Proud men!! Men who tell their women to shut up and to just cook, clean and all that poppycock. Men who go to the office, bang their secretaries and come home with a goddamned meal in front of their face! Yeehaw!

[BtheD19]

I can't answer for the classroom (yet), but in the profession there definitely is.  I've worked for a plaintiff's firm for the past 2 summers, and their very competent female lawyers are often given a tough time or even badgered by male defense lawyers in depositions. 

On top of that, especially in smaller, traditional male-dominated firms, the women have a harder time fitting into "the club."

This isn't to say it can't be done, you just have to be tough.  Also, I'd be willing to bet that the situation is a little more relaxed in larger firms and in corporate settings where there are more women and less egos.

[seno]

65.2 New York - CUNY
64.4 Howard
63.1 Northeastern
62.8 UDC
60.6 UCLA - Berkeley
60.3 American
59.8 New Mexico
59.7 Hawaii
59   North Carolina Central
58.9 Hamline
58.3 Arizona
58.1 Cal-Davis
57.8 Washington
57.5 Pace
56.7 Golden Gate
56.3 Loyola-Chicago
56.2 Whittier
54.8 Cal-Hastings
54.6 Buffalo - SUNY
54.5 New England
54.3 Stetson
54.3 North Car. Chapel Hill
54.3 Maryland
54.3 Maine
54.2 Texas Southern
54.2 NYLS
54.1 Louisville
54.1 DePaul
54   Seattle
53.5 Western State
53.3 Boston College
52.8 Loyola-New Orleans
52.8 Emory
52.8 California Western
52.7 San Francisco
52.6 Northern Ill.
52.4 Albany
52.3 Colorado
52.1 Connecticut
52   Valparaiso
52   North Dakota
51.7 Texas Wesleyan
51.3 Stanford
51.3 Lewis And Clark
51.3 Brooklyn
51.1 Southwestern
51.1 Catholic
51   Pepperdine
50.9 Suffolk
50.9 Saint Louis
50.8 Tulane
50.8 Denver
50.7 Baltimore
50.6 William Mitchell
50.6 Chapman
50.1 Santa Clara
49.9 Fordham
49.8 Georgia
49.7 Loyola-L.A.
49.7 Arizona State
49.6 Houston
49.6 Cincinnati
49.5 Pacific
49.5 Nova
49.4 Temple
49.4 Indiana-Indianapolis
49.4 Detroit Mercy
49   Roger Williams
49   Louisiana State
48.9 Capital
48.8 Vermont
48.8 Thomas Cooley
48.8 Columbia
48.7 Syracuse
48.7 Drake
48.7 Cornell
48.5 Boston University
48.4 Vanderbilt
48.4 Georgetown
48.3 Widener
48.3 Miami
48.3 Cal-UCLA
48.2 Texas
48.2 New York University
48.2 Missouri-Kansas City
48   Hofstra
48   Georgia State
48   Cardozo
47.9 Saint John's
47.9 Penn State
47.8 Wayne State
47.8 Saint Thomas
47.8 Chicago-Kent
47.7 South Texas
47.7 Richmond
47.6 Southern Methodist
47.6 Ohio State
47.5 Western N. Eng.
47.5 Texas Tech.
47.5 Northwestern
47.5 Duquesne
47.4 Nebraska
47.3 Southern Cal.
47.3 Florida State
47.2 Penn
47.1 Barry
47   Quinnipiac
47   Iowa
46.9 Villanova
46.8 Mercer
46.6 Wake Forest
46.6 Arkansas-Little Rock
46.5 Southern
46.4 West Virginia
46.3 Florida
46.2 San Diego
46.2 George Washington
46   Yale
46   Campbell
45.8 Regent
45.8 Nevada
45.8 Gonzaga
45.7 Florida Coastal
45.6 Northern Kentucky
45.5 Tennessee
45.5 Pittsburgh
45.5 Oklahoma
45.5 Cleveland State
45.4 Minnesota
45.3 Memphis
45.2 Ohio Northern
45.1 South Dakota
45.1 Duke
45   Washburn
44.9 Wyoming
44.9 Marquette
44.7 Notre Dame
44.7 John Marshall
44.6 Touro
44.6 Seton Hall
44.6 Illinois
44.4 Rutgers-Newark
44.3 Baylor
44.1 Wisconsin
44.1 Toledo
44.1 Michigan
44   South Carolina
44   Montana
43.9 Mississippi
43.8 Michigan State
43.8 Akron
43.7 Washington And Lee
43.7 Arkansas-Fayetteville
43.6 Harvard
43.3 Kentucky
43.1 William And Mary
43.1 Chicago
43   Washington U.
43   Tulsa
42.9 Willamette
42.9 Oklahoma City
42.6 Indiana-Bloomington
42.5 Virginia
42.5 Dayton
42.3 Rutgers-Camden
42.1 Saint Mary's
41.4 Oregon
41.3 Thomas Jefferson
40.8 George Mason
40.7 Kansas
40.6 Case Western Reserve
40.5 Franklin Pierce
39.5 Missouri-Columbia
39.5 Alabama
39.4 Appalachian
39.2 Creighton
38.8 Utah
38.6 Samford
38   Idaho
37.6 Southern Illinois
36.2 Mississippi College
36.2 Brigham Young
31.1 Ave Maria

[Duner]

Maturese...you're either delusional or disgruntled. I know at my school, when it comes to interviews, the saying goes "I'd rather be a cute girl...than any guy in the top 10%."

 

[giraffe205]

Women certainly have it a bit tougher than men do. During OCI, I could tell that they were trying to get an idea if I was the kind of woman who would take maternity leave and never come back. Of course direct questions about it are illegal, but that doesn't stop them from doing it indirectly.

I fear that the partners at my summer firm will approach me in one of two ways. Either they will think that I'm too young (and a woman that may leave in a few years) so they won't take the time to mentor me and teach me the stuff you don't learn in law school. Or they will try to run me into the ground to see how much of it I can take a la bootcamp. Again, this is just a fear. They all seemed really friendly and open to me at the holiday party so I don't think that it will actually happen, but it's a thought that runs in the back of my mind.

[SymphonyOfDreams]

In my country women own law school... but they are not as good when practicing the law... I dont know why that happends.

[sdnomal]

are you serious? Is this rally only true in litigation?

well im interested in patent prosecution..will this be a problem i have to face??

[Dxion]

I have worked with and am related to very "good ol boy" attorneys and I can tell you that the better a woman looks the easier time she has.  They have nicknames for the ugly ones and make jokes about them. One relative even made mimed vomiting in a deposition when the female attorney with a big butt bent down to pick something up. All the guys laughed. I'm not kidding. From what I have seen the most important thing a female attorney can do for herself professinaly is to keep in shape and wear makeup, or whatever it is that women do to look good.