The glass ceiling is still a hot topic of conversation among professional women, including those in the legal profession. In the May 2002 issue of the American Lawyer, Krysten Crawford pointed out that of all of the managing partners in the top 200 law firms in the US, only three are women.
Still, the number of women practicing law in the US has grown steadily. Although women comprise less than 20 percent of partners at large law firms, they do account for approximately 30 percent of all lawyers and 42 percent of associates at large law firms.
The number of women lawyers will continue to grow, as nearly half of students entering law school are women. While the numbers of women lawyers, both among the rank-and-file and senior positions, continue to increase, the legal profession has room for improvement.
For women lawyers entering law firms, government or corporate legal departments directly from law school, their first year's salary and bonus schedule will be on par with their male counterparts. Law firms, particularly large law firms based in big cities, offer extremely aggressive starting salaries. In New York City (within competitive, top-tier firms) starting salaries range from $115,000 to $145,000, exclusive of bonus, according to the The National Association for Law Placement.
Certainly pay is lower at smaller firms, within government positions, or within corporate legal departments, but at least at entry-level, there is no wage discrimination based on gender.
But for women with experience, salaries suffer when compared to those of their male counterparts for a variety of reasons. For example, take the work-family balance women wish to achieve. At some point, most women attorneys may have family commitments in the form of children, spouses or partners, and aging parents. While many men have similar commitments, women still shoulder most family-related responsibilities. Currently, the demands of the average New York lawyer in private practice may be too great to allow time for dealing with family issues. The top firms promote attorneys who are able to bill large amounts of hours above the average. Most lawyers in private practice bill 2,000 hours annually. It takes approximately 1.5 hours of actual working time to produce a billable hour, so most lawyers, assuming honest billing, are working about 60 hours per week, 52 weeks per year.
For women to achieve the same bonuses, raises and leadership opportunities as men in the legal profession, they must commit to this intense working life, one that leaves no room for family let alone social pursuits. Even after advocating for part-time schedules or flexible work arrangements, many women are still working 40 or more hours per week. And to make it worse, many feel disparaged and marginalized by their colleagues and supervisors.
But, there is good news, too. Women have more opportunities than ever before in the legal profession. As the number of women attorneys increases, women will undoubtedly influence the industry's culture toward better work-life balance.
With dual income households practically a necessity these days, many male attorneys are facing the same work-life balance issues women do. Male and female attorneys who share a concern for creating an environment conducive to both productive work and time for family, surely will soon outnumber those who have climbed the ladder through the old structure. Equal opportunity will continue to increase, and higher morale and overall happiness of all attorneys will be the result.
Law-firm culture, work-family balance issues, alternative work arrangements, and old-line perceptions combine to make advancement to partnership, general counsel, or even elected office more difficult for women. The current economic downturn tends to exacerbate the problems, because the focus on productivity (i.e., billable hours) becomes even more intense. Both male and female attorneys would benefit from addressing and making a sustained commitment to equal opportunity within the legal profession.
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