I'm torn on this one.  I've seen the ads, they are funny and memborable.  But what if they were focused on sterotypical male characteristics?  Ex.  "Need Some Heavy Lifting?" or "We don't take directions from anyone." or even "Any time of the month is a good time for us."  A little offensive, don't you think? 

CC

My first reaction to your analysis was to object to the idea that these women might be embarrased to being members of an all-female law firm. But if it were an all male firm, I think I would expect embarassment from its members. It's pretty silly to make an argument for equality and then hold attorneys to different standards based on their gender. Nevertheless, I read the ads and thought, "Good for you gals!" There's a part of me - not necessarily a part that's particularly constructive - that wants to rejoice in the idea that since all law firms used to be all male there's no problem in having some firms that are all female.  

But then I started thinking if I would actually want to work for or with an all female firm.  I'm not sure that I would.  I've attended a single-sex prep school, completed a majority male minor and major in college, worked in a majority female and majority male offices, and studied in a majority female study group. When I look back, my best working experiences have been in majority female, not exclusively female contexts.  For me, arguments for diversity are not superficial: I honestly believe that gender influences our behavior and perspective and having a diversity of both creates a better end result in almost any undertaking.

If it weren't for this post I might not have stepped back and examined my reaction. So maybe in a less analytical setting the ads would have worked. The ads are very clever, and while I might not choose the firm myself based on this depiction, the ads are successful in making me think that the women at this firm are clever too. That's a pretty profound accomplishment for one little advertisement.

I was turned off by the ads. Memorable? Yes. Clever? I don't think so. It's not that hard to come up with stereotypes and turn them into a play on words. I agree that if a male-only firm did something similar, it would be offensive, and I think that the whole point if equality is that what's good for the goose is good for the gander. These ads, by that logic, should be equally offensive. That we don't find them so is a testament to how far we still have to go.

I just don't understand why they think that this is an effective tack to take.  The stereotype that "arguing with a 'woman'" brings to mind is that she is unreasonable and shrill.  Obviously I don't believe that to be the case, and I guess you could make the argument that they are trying to turn the tables on the stereotype, but if so, I didn't see it.