Ms. JD Book Series's Recent Blog Posts

Ms. JD Summer Book Series: Presumed Equal, by: Lindsay Blohm and Ashley Riveira

Presumed Equal: What America's Top Women Lawyers Really Think About Their Firms, by: Lindsay Blohm and Ashley Riveira

The book featured this week in the Ms. JD Summer Book Series is slightly different than most others. Presumed Equal has been published based on anonymous responses from female associates and partners at 105 of America's top law firms. The purpose of the book itself is to provide current, first-hand observations of 'women at the top' in America's law firms.

The topics covered in this book include everything from work-life balance, advancement and mentoring, to gender discrimination and firm leadership. Because the information has been taken directly from women attorneys, issues are also addressed on a firm specific basis.

Ms. JD Summer Book Series: Women Lawyers: Rewriting the Rules, by: Mona Harrington

Submitted by Ms. JD Book Series

Women Lawyers: Rewriting the Rules, by: Mona Harrington

Mona Harrington, a lawyer, tackles issues that face women lawyers head on in 'Women Lawyers: Rewriting the Rules.' According to Harrington, women lawyers "are on dangerous ground," in that they are connected with the the male legal establishment and to women as a larger group, but are not at ease within either group. This is an interesting premise on which to base her writing, and Harrington expands on this idea through the compilation anecdotes and experiences taken from interviews with more than 100 female attorneys.

Harrington gives a great deal of attention to women in the corporate law setting, the effect that father-daughter relationships have on a woman lawyer, and women as litigators. She also delves into familiar issues for readers of Ms. JD such as proper attire for women lawyers and the unique experience that women have as law students.

As one reviewer wrote, some of Harrington's "topics deserve further analysis, but Harrington provides much food for thought." (Publishers Weekly) This is an interesting read, however, for Ms. JD readers on many topics very close to home, with a few interesting analytical twists.

Ms. JD Summer Book Series: Flux, by: Peggy Orenstein

Submitted by Ms. JD Book Series

Flux: Women on Sex, Work, Love, Kids, & Life in a Half-Changed World

One of the great discussions that women today have, not only on the Ms. JD forum, but also among friends, at work and with their families is how they are going to "have it all." And, perhaps more importantly, what "having it all" means for them.

In 'Flux', Peggy Orenstein explores these questions and more, through a narrative based on a compilation of conversations she has had with over two hundred women, at varying stages of life. Ranging in age from twenty-five to forty-five, these women have shared with Orenstein their personal opinions, struggles, and triumphs concerning such varying topics as, well, sex, work, love, kids and life.

Ms. JD Reader, be advised, this book is not exclusively about women lawyers. This, however, can be a refreshing quality. Not that one gets tired of hearing about women lawyers - this is posted on Ms. JD, after all. Rather, it is somehow comforting to know that women in diverse professions are facing the same issues.

Ms. JD Summer Book Series: Sandra Day O'Connor, By: Joan Biskupic

Submitted by Ms. JD Book Series

Sandra Day O'Connor: How the First Woman on the Supreme Court Became Its Most Influential Justice, By: Joan Biskupic

In this biography of Sandra Day O'Connor, author Joan Biskupic takes the reader through the life of O'Connor, from her early days on the Lazy B Ranch through her time on the Supreme Court. Biskupic portrays O'Connor as a sharp-witted, intelligent, and lively member of the Supreme Court.

As a longtime court observer and journalist, Biskpuic is able to reveal much about O'Connor's life due to the use of the justices' once private papers. The author specifically pays attention to O'Connor as the first female justice on the Supreme Court. In one anecdote, Biskupic recounts a story of when the Supreme Court Justices were discussing a case. During the discussion, Justice Scalia spoke out against affirmative action. O'Connor replied: "Why, Nino, how do you think I got my job?

Ms. JD Summer Book Series: The Lion, the Fox & the Eagle, by: Carol Off

Submitted by Ms. JD Book Series

The Lion, the Fox & the Eagle, By: Carol Off

After the failure of peacekeeping missions in both Sarajevo and Rwanda in the 1990s, Louise Arbour, a Canadian judge, was tasked with the mission of bringing the perpetrators of these international crimes to justice. She was appointed to the position of Chief Prosecutor for War Crimes in Rwanda and the former Yugoslavia and undertook the tremendous task of prosecuting international criminals in the United Nations Tribunals for Rwanda and the former Yugoslavia.

Carol Off's book consists of three parts. The first two parts deal with two Canadian generals: Lewis MacKenzie, who served in the former Yugoslavia, and Romeo Dallaire, who served in Rwanda, respectively. Ms. JD readership, however, will probably be most interested in the work of Louise Arbour, chronicled in part III.

Arbour was tasked with the project of building the legitimacy of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) and the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY). Through her efforts, along with a talented team of people, these two tribunals succeeded in bringing to trial many of the leaders of atrocities from both conflicts.

Ms. JD Summer Book Series: The Majesty of the Law, By: Sandra Day O'Connor

Submitted by Ms. JD Book Series

The Majesty of the Law: Reflections of a Supreme Court Justice, By: Sandra Day O'Connor

In this book, former Justice Sandra Day O'Connor employs anecdotes, personal advice and Supreme Court cases to analyze the evolution of the law, the functioning of the Court, and her life as a Justice. This work is as a much a historical narrative of the American legal tradition, as it is the story of the first female Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States.

While O'Connor does not focus exclusively on the history of women in the law, she devotes much attention in this book to tracing the history of how women have claimed a prominent and important place in the American legal system. This interesting and easy-to-read work is a must-read for women lawyers and law students alike.

This 'insider's look' at life on the Court has an inherently modest tone; however, the magnitude of O'Connor's accomplishments, both for women in the law and for the law generally are obvious to any reader. As O'Connor writes: "I hoped that I had the basic ability and could develop the skills not only to do the job but to do it well in order that not only women but most citizens would think that the President had made a good choice [in nominating her to be a Supreme Court Justice]."

It is clear from this insightful work that President Reagan did indeed make an excellent choice in nominating Sandra Day O'Connor for the position of Justice on the Supreme Court of the United States.

Sandra Day O'Connor was born in El Paso, Texas, and raised on the Lazy B, a ranch on the Arizona-New Mexico border. She attended college and law school at Stanford University, and began her public service in Phoenix, Arizona. She has been married to John O'Connor since 1952, and they have three sons. She is the author, with her brother, H. Alan Day, of Lazy B, a memoir about growing up in the American Southwest. Nominated by President Reagan as Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, she took the oath of office on September 25, 1981, the first woman to do so.

Ms. JD Summer Book Series: Pinstripes & Pearls, By: Judith Richards Hope

Submitted by Ms. JD Book Series

Pinstripes & Pearls: The Women of the Harvard Law Class of '64 Who Forged an Old Girl Network and Paved the Way for Future Generations

Author Judith Richards Hope, a member of the Harvard Law Class of '64, states in the introduction to her book:

"[W]e didn't fully understand what we were getting into - what obstacles we would encounter, what trails we would blaze.... We just knew, from an early age, that we wanted both to serve our country, help make our world a little better and a little safer - and to marry; rear honest, happy children; and lead fulfilling personal lives - just like our mothers."

In some ways, the concerns of Hope and her classmates are so similar to those of women in the law today. Issues of work-life balance, career success, and negotiating law school and legal careers as women, figure prominently in the book. The trail-blazing nature of the women of the Class of '64, however, stands out.