Women in Law in the U.S.
Education
- In the 2006-2007 class, women made up 46.9% of law school students.1
- While the percent of women enrolled in law school has been rising over the years, in the past few years, the percent of women as law school students has declined. 1993 was the year of the highest percent of women as J.D. students-50.4%.1
The Gender Gap in Law
- In 2007, women made up 32.6% of all lawyers.3 Women were 45.3% of associates in 2008.4
- Catalyst estimates women will not achieve parity with men in law firm partnerships until 2088. 5
- In a survey of the 50 best law firms for women, 18% of the firms had women managing partners. 6
- According to a 2006 survey of the nation’s 200 largest law firms, women represent 30% of of-counsel, 26% of non-equity partners, and almost 16% of equity partners.7
- There is a drastic difference between women at the lowest and highest levels in law firms. According to a recent survey,
- women make up nearly 1 out of every 2 law firm associates, but only 1 out of every 6 equity partners. 7
- 90% of law firms reported that their highest paid lawyer was a man.7
- A 2007 survey of the 50 best law firms for women found clients asked 23% of the best firms for firms’ statistics on diversity when making decisions about choosing a law firm for representation.6
- At the 50 best law firms for women, occupations were examined by the percent of mothers and fathers in each position. 6
|
Occupation
|
Mothers6
|
Fathers6
|
|
Associates
|
11%
|
17%
|
|
Of Counsel
|
19%
|
37%
|
|
Non-EquityPartners
|
14%
|
58%
|
|
Equity Partners
|
11%
|
66%
|
- While 1 in 8 women lawyers work part-time, only 1 in 50 men lawyers do.7
- Nearly half as many men lawyers as women lawyers (44% vs. 84%) have a spouse that is employed full-time.8
- Women were general counsels at 90 Fortune 500 companies in 2007.9
- Women lawyers made 77.5% of men lawyers’ salaries in 2007. 10
Women of Color in Law
- Women of color face additional barriers. As mentioned earlier, women were 45.3% of all associates and 18.7% of all partners.4 People of color were 19.1% of all associates, and 6.1% of all partners. Women of color, on the other hand, represented just 10.7% of all associates, and 1.9% of all partners.4
- 19% of law firms do not have any associates who are people of color. 13
- 77% of women of color entry-level associates leave within 5 years, compared to 69% of men of color entry-level associates.14
- There are only 7 women of color general counsels in the Fortune 500.15
Sources
1 American Bar Association, "First Year and Total J.D. Enrollment by Gender 1947-2005" (2008).
2 NAPL data, various years.
3 Current Population Survey, Bureau of Labor Statistics, "Table 11: Employed Persons by Detailed Occupation, Sex, Race, and Hispanic or Latino Ethnicity," Annual Averages 2007 (2008).
4 The National Association for Law Placement, "Law Firm Diversity Demographics Slow to Change -- Minority Women Remain Particularly Scarce in Law Firm Partnership Ranks," (October 10, 2008).
5 Catalyst, unpublished data, 2008.
6 Working Mother and Flex-Time Lawyers, "2008 Working Mother and Flex-Time Lawyers Best Law Firms for Women: Trends Identified from National Survey."
7 National Association of Women’s Lawyers, National Survey on Retention and Promotion of Women in Law Firms, (November 2007).
8 Catalyst, Women in Law: Making the Case (2001).
9 Minority Corporate Council Association, "MCCA's 2007 Survey of Fortune 500 Women General Counsel" (2007).
10 Current Population Survey, Bureau of Labor Statistics, "Table 39: Median weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary workers by detailed occupation and sex," Annual Averages 2007 (2008).
11 American Bar Association,"A Current Glance at Women in the Law 2005."
12 American Bar Association, "A Current Glance at Women in the Law 2006."
13 NALP, "A Closer Look at Women and Minorities in Law Firms" (2008).
14 NALP, Update on Associate Attrition: Findings from a National Study of Law Firm Associate Hiring and Departures-2006 (2007).
15 Minority Corporate Counsel Association, "Minority General Counsel at Fortune 500 Companies" (2007).
UPDATED October 20, 2008
