Thought For The Day

One has to understand that braveness is not the absence of fear, but rather the strength to keep on going forward despite the fear.

Paulo Coelho

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Thought For The Day

It is not only for what we do that we are held responsible, but also for what we do not do.

Moliere

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Thought For The Day

Make yourself proud.

Peter W. Smith

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Women Lawyers Have Longer Paths to Partnership

A recent study, as reported in the ABA Journal, has confirmed that a greater percentage of female lawyers have a longer path to partnership than their male colleagues. This is no surprise to those of us who follow this kind of research, but the confirmation is always disappointing.

Information about the study was pointed out to me by my son, and I was delighted to have him share this information with me for two reasons.  First, because he obviously thinks it is important, and, second, because his law school shared it with not only the female law students but the male law students as well.  We need more of that.  Although some of the issues that deter women in the workplace are typical gender issues, the other major issue—the work-life challenge—is not specific to women.  Male lawyers also are beginning to feel the work-life struggle as they spend less and less time with their families and in pursuit of their avocational interests to accommodate upward mobility at work, and work-life is beginning to be treated as gender neutral.

This is good.  If breast cancer was perceived as a non-gender specific disease, a cure for breast cancer would have been found long ago.  So with the work-life struggle.  We will take all the help we can get.

The survey, conducted by the American Lawyer, canvassed lawyers who began working as partners between  2010 and 2013.  The survey found that 80 percent of the male lawyers surveyed made partner within a decade, as compared to 66 percent of the female lawyers.

Other survey findings of interest include that:

  • Only 78 percent of new female partners felt adequately prepared for the position, compared to 90 percent of the new male partners;
  • Only 83 percent of new female partners had been asked to lead a team, as compared to 93 percent of the new male partners; and
  •   58 percent of the new female partners cited gender bias and cronyism as reasons for dissatisfaction with practice.

These statistics need your attention.  Young women lawyers must demand the same practice experiences that prepare male lawyers for partnership.  They must develop both mentor and sponsor relationships with senior lawyers , both male and female, which will help them get these experiences and make certain that their merits are advanced during partnership review and discussed fairly and thoroughly.  As evidence of the importance of mentor relationships, a recent study conducted by Georgetown Law found that 57 percent of law firm associates, who had three or more mentors, made partner—a huge increase over those associates who had fewer than three mentors.

I suspect that the Georgetown Law study lumped mentors and sponsors together.  However, those of you who have been reading my blogs and books for awhile know that I emphasize a difference between mentors and sponsors.  Simply stated, mentors teach you, and sponsors teach you and also recommend you and are personally invested in decisions that affect your career.  In other words, sponsors use their reputations and influence to go out on a limb for you, and they have “skin in the game.”  Having mentors is not enough to get you through the partnership gate; you must have sponsors, too.

Pay attention to these statistics, and make sure that you are prepared at every stage of your career.  If you do not, no one else will.

 

Career Counselors, Law Firm Managers, Law Students, Pre-law, Young Lawyer | Comment

Thought For The Day

In continuing remembrance of Veteran’s Day, here is another quote from a great military leader:

“If you’re going through Hell, keep on going.”

Winston Churchill:

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Here’s to the Women at America’s First Law School

Today I will travel to Williamsburg, Virginia to speak to the women at William & Mary Law, America’s first law school.  It is indeed a pleasure to have this opportunity.  Among the topics that we will discuss are commitment to career and the special challenges to women lawyers that still exist in the profession.  These challenges go far beyond the work-life struggle for women with young children and family responsibilities.  Other challenges include the differences between male and female styles of practice and the continuing implicit biases that affect upward mobility for women lawyers.  We will discuss the inherent talents that women lawyers use or ignore in working their way up the professional ladder and the mistakes they make.  We also will talk about the grim statistics that demonstrate how far women need to advance in the profession to gain the recognition and equity they deserve.

Understanding these issues and knowing how to handle them can mean the difference between a satisfying and successful career and something far less that may lead to abandoning career prematurely and unnecessarily.  I will be providing the young women of William & Mary Law checklists for success and “Do’s and Don’ts” that will be invaluable to them throughout their careers.

I encourage all of you to “Get on Board” the Best Friends at the Bar bandwagon.  Talk to the career services professionals at your law schools about the Best Friends at the Bar program.  I would love to bring these same messages to you and your fellow students to give you a leg up on the competition as you enter practice.

Hope to see you at your law school soon!

Career Counselors, Law Students, Young Lawyer | Comment

Thought For The Day

Today we thank all the veterans who have made our freedom a reality.

From one great military leader and US President:

“The supreme quality for leadership is unquestionably integrity. Without it, no real success is possible, no matter whether it is on a section gang, a football field, in an army, or in an office.”

Dwight D. Eisenhower

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William & Mary Law School, Here I Come!

I will be at William & Mary Law on Tuesday, November 12th, speaking to the women law students—and, of course, male law students are invited as well.  It will take both men and women working together to figure out how to make the practice of law work for ALL lawyers. Those discussions should start in law school, and I am glad to have this opportunity to shed some light on these subjects at William and Mary Law.  Hope to see you there!

Come one, come all!

 

Law Students, Young Lawyer | Comment