Don’t call me a “woman lawyer”
By Anonymous • June 11, 2007 •Sexism, Sexual Harassment, and Other Forms of Discrimination
In 1848, Charlotte Bronte wrote in a letter to William Smith: "I am neither a man nor a woman but an author." She was quick to defy gender classifications as she sought to be judged equally and apart from her male colleagues. While she spoke defiantly about gender in her letter, she would publish literature under men's names for over fifteen years, veiling her identity for fear that the "mode of writing and thinking was not what is called 'feminine'" and aware that "authoresses are liable to be looked on with prejudice." She sought to transcend the prism of gender,…
You are my role models
By Anonymous • June 11, 2007 •Mentoring and Networking
(To the women in my law school classes) The women who came before me made great strides in the study and practice of law, strides I didn't fully appreciate until I was studying law myself in an environment where I felt respected and where I was surrounded by other smart, capable women and powerful, inspiring female faculty. Because I know that this has not always been the case, I remain indebted to the women who came before me, for it is through their work breaking through barriers and challenging preconceptions that now, pursuing a law career has become an empowering…
Tips on Getting an Offer
By Anonymous • June 11, 2007 •Choosing a Career and Landing a Job
The author is a recent graduate who got the job offer she wanted at the end of her summer internship at a firm.1. You're not getting paid to check your Facebook account. Or get your seminar paper published. Don't use your hours at work for personal tasks. I'd say occasional checking of email is fine, but be respectful of the fact that you are getting paid to actually work this summer.2. Be social. You're building a reputation as both a hard worker and a pleasant person to work with. It's important to go to lunches and chat up the partners.3.…
International Human Rights Lawyering: Can I do my own gender justice?
By Anonymous • June 11, 2007 •Nonprofits and the Public Interest
My first year of law school has taught me there is no law. At least, there is no law that is not first experienced by and filtered through the participants to a case or a suit. Each complaint tells a story of men and women who have suffered. Sometimes they lose money, other times rights, and in the worst of cases, the victims lose their dignity and lives. Women experience "The Law" much differently than the men who construct it, and their stories must be told.I study public international law. It is not sexy. The worst crimes are still being…
Why do we equate “being a good parent and spouse” with “not being a good lawyer”?
By Anonymous • June 11, 2007 •Balancing Private and Professional Life
When I first entered law school, I never thought that my gender would in any way impede my success in the legal profession. I had not previously experienced any educational discrimination regarding my gender, and so far the past has remained true throughout law school. I did well in all of my classes, voiced my opinions, and was treated equally regarding class discussions. However, a guest speaker who visited during the middle of second semester changed my view of the role my gender would play in my legal career after law school. The guest speaker's topic of discussion was what…
In Memoriam of Veronica Mars
By Anonymous • June 11, 2007 •Women and Law in the Media
My favorite television show was cancelled a few weeks ago. As unlikely as it seems, my feelings about that occurrence at times mirror my feelings about being a woman entering the legal profession. You see, my favorite television show is "Veronica Mars." About a young, intelligent, persistent female detective, it is well written, realistic and, most of all, the one show on television with a strong, young, female role model. Its cancellation makes me question television's commitment to female viewers. Ironically, the CW Television Network replaced the show for part of its final season with "The Pussycat Dolls Present: The…
How to Play Your Cards
By Anonymous • June 04, 2007 •Other Issues
In my opinion, the most challenging thing about being a career woman is learning how to play your cards. I simply mean this: there are certainly stereotypes which precede women in the workplace -- submissive, peacemaker, courteous, docile, prim, proper, ladylike, etc. And it's true that there's a time and a place to correct such assumptions, but it's also true that there are times when such assumptions might work in our favor in terms of gaining an advantage for our clients. For example, a woman who is naturally abrasive, when representing a client in a particularly rural town in a…
Appearances
By Anonymous • April 09, 2007 •Sexism, Sexual Harassment, and Other Forms of Discrimination
My ex-boyfriend, getting ready for work every morning, pulling on his unfailingly neat pressed slacks and expensive Brooks Brothers suit, would always, without fail, complain about his height. As I lay quietly in bed in the early morning hours, still unbelieving that we were in this amazing apartment in midtown Manhattan, almost feeling like we had become our parents, I could not believe that Aaron could be complaining about anything. However, some study he had read had in no uncertain terms told him unequivocally that men who were under 5’11” were less likely to become CEO’s of Fortune 500 companies…
Gender and Study Groups
By Anonymous • March 10, 2007 •Curriculum and Classroom Dynamics
In the tumultuous life of a 1L, masking a sense of fashion and femininity should be the last thing on a woman’s mind. If women were equal to men, and their ideas held in the same esteem, perhaps it would be. It seems that despite a nation-wide effort to trump the pestilence of a patriarchal society, women are scrutinized more frequently than their male counterparts. Although during the first semester, I tried to hold onto my belief in the existence of gender equality, I could not keep the sexist reality at bay for too long. Like all 1Ls, I spent…