Southern Ms. Part VI: Identifying Discrimination

A few weeks ago I witnessed a female lawyer (hereinafter "Lady, Esq.") accuse a male lawyer (hereinafter "Gentleman, Esq.") of sexism and discrimination. It started with Gentleman, Esq. commenting on Lady, Esq. being rude and disrespectful to him. Lady, Esq. responded by explaining her snarkiness and sarcasm were in response to his condescension.

Gentleman, Esq. asked Lady, Esq. to "calm down." I know I'm guilty of a sexist stereotype, but nevertheless I've got to say it: "calm down" is possibly the most infuriating thing a male professional can say to a female professional. It implies sexism even where there might not be any. Gentleman, Esq. went a step further, describing Lady, Esq. as having a "hissy fit." An extremely poor choice of words, brimming with gender connotations.

It was at this point that Lady, Esq. brought out the big guns, the sexism guns, and accused Gentleman, Esq. of discrimination. It was the first time I've heard this type of confrontation. And it's made me think about how you identify discriminatory behavior for yourself and when you label it as such for others.

Clerkship Advice Part II: The Interview

Hey 3Ls, hopefully you took some of my earlier advice and it helped you compile a successful clerkship application - success being defined as snagging an interview. So now what?

Lessons from the Courtroom: The Crying Game

We've discussed crying before here, here, and here. I have cried at work, but not in a work-related context: I got choked up when a family member was dying, when I got in a personal disagreement with a good friend at work, and when I was feeling particularly homesick. I also once comforted a friend at work whose pet was sick. I did not feel I had been unprofessional in these situations - but it's clear from the conversations we've had in this area that I could have beenperceived as such.

What I did think was unprofessional was crying in a professional capacity, i.e. during oral argument, trial, negotiations, or any other representative capacity. Recently, I witnessed another attorney cry in court. The thing that made this attorney so emotional was another attorney attacking her. Both attorneys had strayed from the core issues of the case and were focused on one another's behavior, which they each deemed inappropriate. Regardless of whether or not the allegations of improper lawyering were warranted, both the initial attack and the teary reaction seemed to me to be entirerly unprofessional.

Family Dinner: The Working Mother's Cross to Bear?

Slate.com's Emily Bazelon has an article detailing the results of a new study of IBM employees that observed a perception of lesser professional achievement among those working mothers who failed to regularly eat dinner with their families. The benefits of regular family meals for children are well-documented, but this is noteworthy as a study of the impact on parents.

The WSJ's Sue Shellenbarger notes that since married women spend more than three times more hours each week cooking meals and cleaning up afterward, compared with married men, regular family meals more likely are a source of more stress than comfort.

I've written about my feelings on family dinners before. Basically they are the focal point of my fondest childhood memories, but I have yet to work a full day and cook a full meal myself.

This latest study, published without recognition of domestic labor disparities, seems a little cruel to me. It's like, "Hey you, working mom. Feeling stressed about being able to balance your professional and personal commitments? Well the good news is thanks to social biases and psychological constructs, you can trick yourself into thinking things are better by taking on MORE work!"

I am a Feminist Because ...

I am a Feminist because I believe in gender equity. While acknowledging that there are real and perceived differences between men and women, I don't believe these differences justify disparities in their treatment.

I think it's important to explain why I am a Feminist because a lot of people associate Feminism with other values - with extremism, with elitism, with activism, with exclusivity, with anger. There are famous Feminists who have visibly advanced those values: abolitionists, prohibitionists, suffragists, etc. Many were brave and pioneering. Many were controversial. Many made mistakes. I know that I invoke their memory when I adopt their label. But "Feminist" is defined not just by its past usage but by those who presently identify themselves as such. I'm proud to share responsibility for the continued evolution of the term.

For me Feminism is not a cause, it's a perspective. I do not think there is a single issue of public or private concern that does not impact women. But not everyone who considers these issues thinks about their gender-specific effects. My Feminism helps inform how I view war, poverty, sickness, politics, education, business - you name it. It is not the only perspective I carry with me - I'm also young, Western-educated, a former artist, an attorney, etc. - all my experiences color my viewpoint.

I know that others don't share my perspective despite sharing my label. I know that others don't share my label despite sharing my commitment to gender equity. I'd be interested to hear from the full spectrum. How do you define Feminism? How do you identify yourself?

Here's another perspective to help get you started.

Clippings: Envisioning a Successful Female Presidential Candidate

Kate Zernicki makes some predictions about who, after Senator Clinton, will be the next serious female contender for the Presidency:

That woman will come from the South, or west of the Mississippi. She will be a Democrat who has won in a red state, or a Republican who has emerged from the private sector to run for governor. She will have executive experience, and have served in a job like attorney general, where she will have proven herself to be “a fighter” (a caring one, of course).

She will be young enough to qualify as postfeminist (in the way Senator Barak Obama has come off as postracial), unencumbered by the battles of the past. She will be married with children, but not young children. She will be emphasizing her experience, and wearing, yes, pantsuits.

Southern Ms. Part V: The Good Life

So lately I've been thinking that this is a really good place to live. Good people, good work, good culture. Especially when you're a young professional and the cost of living is a fraction of what it is in New York or California.

Lawyers here make six figure salaries but live like millionaires would in the bigger legal markets because the cost of housing is so low that they have much more disposible income.

Best of all those six figures come with a considerably lower time commitment. Sure if you're in trial you'll be busy, but for the most part lawyers here seem to work fairly reasonable hours. Nothing like the all-nighters and long weekends my friends in BigLaw are pulling on the coasts. No kidding, 9-5 is realistic and 8-7 is considered cruel. And these are in the big law firms here - so you're still getting the benefits of good staff support and insitutional weigh that come with BigLaw posts in other cities. It's made me think that this whole work-life balance, billable-hour rebellion is (just like the "opt-out revolution") the problem of a very small fraction of women lawyers in this country.

May 6th in Chicago: NAWL's 3rd Annual "Ready to On-Ramp?" program on re-entry

Jenner & Block's Chicago offices host this year's NAWL program specifically designed to help lawyers develop their own personal strategy for re-entering the workforce. Looks like it will be a great program - especially for the bargain price of $30!

Advice on Passing the Bar Exam: Part IV

Hey 3Ls - congrats on graduation!! For advice on what to do with the next three weeks before official bar preparation begins check out the forums. For my advice about what to do once studying begins ...

I took the California Bar Exam in July 2007. I took it on a laptop in Los Angeles, CA. To prepare I took Barbri's live lecture series in Los Angeles. I did not take PMBR.

Barbri Advice

First of all, there’s no advantage to attending a live class as opposed to a taped one – except for that it seems less ludicrous to be paying so much for it. I actually preferred the taped classes. They were less crowded and more relaxed. The key is to figure out a daily schedule that will allow you to be productive. I work best in the mornings and tend to have an afternoon slump. So I worked on my own in the mornings and stared blankly at the Barbri monitors every afternoon.

So the BIG question: do you really have to follow the paced program and do all the homework?? Not necessarily, but you do have to put in some serious work. I never did a single paced program assignment. The first night I sat down to read the first outline. I thought it would be helpful to write down some notes. Well after three hours I was only half way through and thoroughly miserable. There was no way I was doing one of these in addition to 50 question and a couple essays every night.

So here’s what I did: as we went through the lectures I hand wrote outlines of the topics and made flashcards of the basic rules (not the completely nit-picky stuff). I tried to do 15-20 multiple choice questions per day, including reading through the answers. I finished all my subject outlines and flash cards by the end of the in class lectures. Starting the first week of July, when our classes ended I wrote out 1 full essay per day and outlined two more. I kept doing 15-20 multiple choice per day as well. Finally, I went back and hand wrote my outlines again.

I do not recommend this particular plan, but I do recommend this: think about what kind of study skills are effective for you and utilize them. I retain information by writing it down by hand much better than by typing or reading aloud. Not everyone works this way. Since I do, that formed the basis of my study plan.

Other methods I saw among my friends: extremely detailed flashcards; repetition of incorrectly answered multiple choice questions every night before bed; studying from hand-me-down outlines; and reading aloud (over and over and over again…).

Personal Life

I heard a great piece of advice. Before you start studying sit down with your significant other and lay out this rule: NO BREAKING UP UNTIL AFTER THE BAR EXAM. The rule applies to you both.

Equal Pay Day: Scholarship on Advocacy and Equity

Today, Friday, April 18, 2008 is Equal Pay Day. The National Women's Law Center is encouraging bloggers to voice their support for the Fair Pay Restoration Act. Lest you think the wage gap doesn't reach attorneys (after all those law firms have lock-step and hour-based associate salaries and partners are just paid according to their client base, right?) study after study has confirmed that gender pay equity continues to be a goal and not a reality in the legal profession as well.

Recently Judge Kaye and Anne Reddy reported that as recently as November 2007, the National Association of Women Lawyers found that, of thirty-five firms willing to report compensation by gender, the average median compensation of a male equity partner was almost $90,000 higher than that of a female equity partner, $27,000 higher than that of a female nonequity partner, and $20,000 higher in the of counsel position. 90% of firms report their top earning member is a man.

I've written on the motherhood wage gap - that is the penalty working mothers pay when they have children that cannot be attributed to reduced time or commitment in the office. National longitudinal studies by the US Department of Labor have documented a statistically significant drop in the wage trajectories of women with children not experienced by fathers.

Blogging for a cause is a growing trend and part of a more general recognition of the power blogging can have for women in particular!