Comments on: Are there fewer women at your law school? http://www.concurringopinions.com/archives/2007/10/are_there_fewer.html The Law, the Universe, and Everything Tue, 14 Feb 2012 05:18:12 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: John Steele http://www.concurringopinions.com/archives/2007/10/are_there_fewer.html/comment-page-1#comment-52190 John Steele Tue, 02 Oct 2007 05:34:08 +0000 http://www.solove.org/archives/2007/10/are-there-fewer-women-at-your-law-school.html#comment-52190 To follow up on an idea I floated at Tax Law Prof Blog's series on advice for Dean Erwin Chemerinsky of UC-Irvine, if law schools added an LL.B program for undergraduates, then, among many other benefits, lawyers who wanted to start families in their early thirties would be able to get a law degree with little debt, sink a full decade or more into becoming a practicing laywer, and then balance a family with part-time lawyering or leave the profession for a while, knowing that their twelve years of experience would permit them to jump back in later. Those benefits wouldn't accrue only to women, but to all lawyers who wanted to balance lawyering and family life. To follow up on an idea I floated at Tax Law Prof Blog’s series on advice for Dean Erwin Chemerinsky of UC-Irvine, if law schools added an LL.B program for undergraduates, then, among many other benefits, lawyers who wanted to start families in their early thirties would be able to get a law degree with little debt, sink a full decade or more into becoming a practicing laywer, and then balance a family with part-time lawyering or leave the profession for a while, knowing that their twelve years of experience would permit them to jump back in later. Those benefits wouldn’t accrue only to women, but to all lawyers who wanted to balance lawyering and family life.

]]> By: Margaret http://www.concurringopinions.com/archives/2007/10/are_there_fewer.html/comment-page-1#comment-52189 Margaret Mon, 01 Oct 2007 18:14:42 +0000 http://www.solove.org/archives/2007/10/are-there-fewer-women-at-your-law-school.html#comment-52189 I don't know about the profession yet, being a 2L this year, but I sure do know that law school itself is not particularly family-friendly. The school could draw more women if it offered childcare, packed the schedule with classes in the morning, and gave me fewer blank stares when I have to mention that I have a kid at home. I'm a lucky one, though; I get along OK with my ex and mostly do not have custody conflicts. But I have to imagine that the lack of daycare is a super barrier to women who have kids and also have the abilities to attend a top law school. A note about career counseling comes to mind. I keep hearing about the great jobs that'll be lined up for me when I finish school, but I can't work 70 hours a week as a new associate gunning for partnership. Schools' career counseling offices should focus not just on the high-powered associate positions, but also on decently remunerative work that's more able to be squared with family responsibilities. I don’t know about the profession yet, being a 2L this year, but I sure do know that law school itself is not particularly family-friendly. The school could draw more women if it offered childcare, packed the schedule with classes in the morning, and gave me fewer blank stares when I have to mention that I have a kid at home.

I’m a lucky one, though; I get along OK with my ex and mostly do not have custody conflicts. But I have to imagine that the lack of daycare is a super barrier to women who have kids and also have the abilities to attend a top law school.

A note about career counseling comes to mind. I keep hearing about the great jobs that’ll be lined up for me when I finish school, but I can’t work 70 hours a week as a new associate gunning for partnership. Schools’ career counseling offices should focus not just on the high-powered associate positions, but also on decently remunerative work that’s more able to be squared with family responsibilities.

]]> By: anon http://www.concurringopinions.com/archives/2007/10/are_there_fewer.html/comment-page-1#comment-52188 anon Mon, 01 Oct 2007 18:12:02 +0000 http://www.solove.org/archives/2007/10/are-there-fewer-women-at-your-law-school.html#comment-52188 I am not sure about the overall student population, but I have noticed that, for instance, we have fewer women each year on the Law Review, a commitment which probably has the same sort of negative connotations as a high-powered firm career--demanding, time-consuming, not conducive to family life (for those female students who have families) and, perhaps, just not worth it (at least at higher-ranked schools where getting a job is less of a concern). I am not sure about the overall student population, but I have noticed that, for instance, we have fewer women each year on the Law Review, a commitment which probably has the same sort of negative connotations as a high-powered firm career–demanding, time-consuming, not conducive to family life (for those female students who have families) and, perhaps, just not worth it (at least at higher-ranked schools where getting a job is less of a concern).

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