Women In Law School

[sdnomal]

ha i figured ....so i should be fine =)

[LawLady]

OMG!  This is ridiculous!

If you believe in this crap, it will probably occur.  I am much more confident and competent than the men I work with.  While I am not goregeous, I am not a dog either, but I am not about to "doll myself up" so that I can be respected.

[Dxion]

Hey, I don't make the rules. I'm just reporting what I have seen.  Women that look good have an easier time.

[LawLady]

They may have an easier time with men, but other women (and we do end up in positions of power sometimes despite not having implants or a father who owns the firm) will make it harder for really attractive women.  Women can be catty and lots of smart (but not stunning) women I know tend to view other women as looks obsessed or bimbos.

[giraffe205]

Hey, I don't make the rules. I'm just reporting what I have seen.  Women that look good have an easier time.

They may have an easier time getting along w/ the ol' boys and not being made fun of, but do they necessarily have an easier time making partner (provided that they are just as competent as a man, avg. looking woman or an ugly woman)? I'm seriously curious.

[Dxion]

I have no idea if looks play a role in making partner. I'm not qualified to answer that. But I don't think that what we're discussing is unique to law. Research has shown that attractive people, men and women, are seen as being smarter, friendlier, and more compentant than unattractive people.

Obviously you can't make yourself dramatically better looking, but EVERYBODY looks better when they are in shape and take care of themselves. In any business if people percieve you as being smarter and friendlier you will have more success. And in every business, and in every facet of life, boys will be boys. And boys like being around pretty women.

[shao2007]

Granted being cute will help you. But, seriously i have been curious if women are treated like minorities in the law firms. I have been talking with this to some minority lawyers i know, and they pretty much all agree that the experiences for women are similar to that of minorities.

Keep up the good board posts, don't let the haters get to you

[PSUDSL08]

I'm at a lower tiered school where normally only the top students get hired for any 1L summer associate positions. My one friend is in his late 20's, has tons of work experience, is in the top 10% of his class, won the first year moot court competition, and has an outgoing personality (yet humble) and was never given a second interview at one of the firms he interviewed with. There's an attractive girl in our class right around the middle of the class, straight out of undergrad, with a monotone voice and NO personality whatsoever who got a call back for a second interview. This firm also claimed that they favored moot court experience in their job description. Maybe she knew someone, who knows...however I'd bet the farm that if she were 50 pounds heavier, there's no way they'd ask her back for a second interview.

[iguesstherefore]

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

I think these are some elatively low percentages for a law school!

[giraffe205]

I'm at a lower tiered school where normally only the top students get hired for any 1L summer associate positions. My one friend is in his late 20's, has tons of work experience, is in the top 10% of his class, won the first year moot court competition, and has an outgoing personality (yet humble) and was never given a second interview at one of the firms he interviewed with. There's an attractive girl in our class right around the middle of the class, straight out of undergrad, with a monotone voice and NO personality whatsoever who got a call back for a second interview. This firm also claimed that they favored moot court experience in their job description. Maybe she knew someone, who knows...however I'd bet the farm that if she were 50 pounds heavier, there's no way they'd ask her back for a second interview.

I don't buy it that firms would hire someone just b/c she was pretty though otherwise unqualified. Economically it just doesn't make sense. Plus, they could risk a sexual harassment claim if their goal was to date/sleep w/ her.