Personal Narrative: A Career As An Attorney

As an aspiring young attorney, I want to be a compelling, capable advocate for my clients. Some external factors outside of my control, however, might prevent me from being a successful lawyer. Specifically, I am concerned that other people’s perceptions of me, based on my identity and appearance, could hamper my effectiveness as an attorney. During my first experience working for a firm, I noticed that most female attorneys were either relegated to the less trendy or lucrative practice groups, or left to languish doing endless document review or other low-level work. Were these lawyers in these positions because they were women?
With one year left in law school, I often think about the largest barriers I will face in my career. I am concerned …show more content…
As research suggests, historically the legal profession was not accessible to all racial and ethnic groups, women, or other disadvantaged communities. Thus, explicit bias created a barrier to gender equality in the legal field. However, since the "Golden Age” in the 1950s, when large law firms hired only top law school candidates, without any focus on diversity, the legal profession has undergone a dramatic, positive change to increase diversity. In the past few decades, law firms have made marked changes in their hiring practices, partnership tracks, and relationships with clients. In June 2016, more than 44.8 percent of associates in the country's largest law firms were women. This trend indicates that explicit bias has been largely eliminated as a barrier to entering the legal …show more content…
While the number of female lawyers has increased over the last decade, between 2014 and 2015, only 23 percent of newly elected equity partners–partners who share in the firm's gains–were women. Moreover, among non-equity partners who graduated from law schools after 2004, 37 percent were women and 63 percent were men. Women began their professional trajectories on the same path as men and receive nearly the same number of associate roles. Men, however, become partners at leading law firms far more often than women. The American Bar Association (ABA) has enacted numerous diversity initiatives to attract and retain women, like the Grit and Growth Project. The enactment of Model Rule 8.4(g) helps to end discrimination in the workplace by allowing certain misconduct to be labeled explicitly as discrimination or harassment. Despite these initiatives, the gap between men and women persists. This discrepancy has led to a discussion: Why are women underrepresented in law

Show More

Who Is Bryan Stevenson's Just Mercy?

Clarence Thomas Research Paper

5 soical issues Essay

Whitey Bulger Crime

Julia Murrow Research Paper

Alexander Hamilton Essay

The Wall Growing Up Behind The Iron Curtain Summary

Essay on California Peace Officer Study Guide 1

Essay about Having Our Say

Business: Veto and Governors Essay