While law school recruiters have played a role, changes in society over the last decades have also contributed to the increase in the number of women entering the field of law. After the women's liberation movement of the late 60s and early 70s, women began realizing their potential in traditionally male-dominated fields.
"Law schools started to become more open to accepting women into law schools about 30 years ago and changes in society made pursuing careers like law more acceptable," said Shields.
Finally, beyond all the societal changes and recruitment efforts, one of the most likely reasons that women have begun to flood law schools is the same reason that men have pursued careers in law for years. Law is a successful and respected career field that attracts many individuals - no matter what race, creed or gender.
"We know from studies by social scientists that women become lawyers because they are enticed and engaged by the intellectual nature of legal work, because they seek economic independence and because they want to make a positive difference in the world," said Paula Patton, Executive Director of the National Association for Law Placement.
Still the Minority in the Field
While the number of first year law students is almost half female, courtrooms and top law firms in the country do not reflect this statistic. In a study conducted by the National Association for Law Placement in 2000, it was shown that only 15.6% of partners in the nation's 47,999 major law firms are women. While the percentages of associates and summer associates are much higher, 41.7% and 46.3% respectively, women are still under-represented when it comes to high-positions in the field, especially when compared with the number of women enrolling in law schools.
The reasons for this extraordinarily low number of female partners in firms are not known. According to Patton, many causes can be contemplated, but there has never been a national study conducted to verify any solid reasons.
"There is some speculation that if they [women] are choosing other paths, it may be a direct result of inhospitable environments for women in the partnership ranks-but again, there is not reliable evidence of the possibility," said Patton.
Additionally, it is speculated that many women opt out of partnerships due to personal decisions such as a desire to raise a family or simply a decision to pursue another career path within the legal profession.
But other careers in law also remain predominantly male. Most notably, female law professors are still a minority. A study conducted by the Association of American Law Schools (AALS) over a six-year period (1994-2000) found that only 31.5% of the faculty members listed in the Directory of Law Teachers during the 1999-2000 school year were women. The percentage of female deans was even lower at 10.9%. While these numbers demonstrate an increase from those of previous years, they still represent the struggle for women to make the same progress in infiltrating law professions as they have made in getting into law school.
"It takes time for the change in the make-up of the profession to be reflected at all levels...My guess is those increases [in female faculty members] will continue over time. Certainly, attracting women to the professorate has been something law schools have been working on for some time," said Shields.
While schools have been recruiting female professors and other faculty, and the numbers do reflect this somewhat (46% of associate professors in the 1999-2000 school year were women), there is still a long way to go. As Shields stated, it will take some time to see that the increase in the number of women in law school affect similar increases in the number of women in partnerships, judgeships and law school faculty positions.
What Influence Will Women Have Now?
As women inch their way closer to sharing an equal playing field with men, the question inevitably arises about whether women will change the field of law. With many law schools almost split down the center between men and women in 2000, the effect women will have, if any, on the teaching techniques has been a popular topic of conversations. While many people assume that the more women attending law school, the more likely that classes will become less competitive and more focused on teamwork, this is not necessarily true.
In fact, Shields is hesitant to make a statement either way on this topic as it is too soon to tell.
"How and how much law schools change will depend on the institutional cultures at individual schools. To say any more would only be speculation on my part," he stated.
The effect of women on the entire field of law, specifically firms, can also not be determined since women are just beginning to fight their way into judgeships and partnerships. But it cannot be argued that women will definitely have some type of effect on the field as they increase their presence.
"We are waiting to see whether women will change to fit with the traditional law firm culture (male influenced) or whether law firms will change in response to the influences of women," said Patton.
Despite Patton's uncertainty about the way the changes will occur with women in the field of law, she does have some predictions as to how women may change the field, if they do succeed in doing so.
"If women have an impact, it may well be centered on these possibilities: less hierarchy in firms and more equality; less authoritative decision-making, more consensus building; more mediation and less litigation..." said Patton.
Of course, none of these ideas can be taken as facts. The increase in the number of women in law school and legal careers is still too recent to be truly evaluated and scanned for changes that have been a result of it. But one thing is certain, women are continuing to catch up with men in law school and even in positions within the legal profession. Therefore, change is inevitable.
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