Response #37

The report titled Charting our Progress shows the increase in the amount of women who are participating in the field of law. Women in 2003 represent 50% of the entering law students into law schools. This was up form 45% from the year of 1994. This is an example that women are being able to practice law and are becoming more interested in the law. It also shows the rise in other areas such as women being part of large fortune 500 companies and also partners in large firms through out the country. However, women are still paid a much less wage than a male attorney on average. This is something that lacks in society today and must be brought to a close. Women are known to not be aggressive enough or even too aggressive at times along with becoming to emotionally involve with clients. These are many reasons as to why for the longest time women did not practice law. Men who interview prospects for their firm are still to this day asking women questions that are illegal to ask. They are asking women if they plan on having children and how their family is cooping with the big move. They have also been asked if they do have children and if they do would they be willing to keep up with the billing expectations the law firm has. It has also been shown that typically it used to be that men enjoyed and devoted their lives to the law. The wife would stay at home while the husband would put 70 to 8o hours a week in at the firm. This is also beginning to change and new women and men attorney are seeing that is not the life in which they wish to live. Many of them are going out on their own to develop their own practices to have more flexible hours.