Each year, an influx of bright-eyed new attorneys joins the workforce. Even so, the percentage of female attorneys remains disproportionate. In addition, thousands of women attorneys leave their firms or the field entirely, further widening the gap. These women are not struggling and frustrated; in fact, many are at the very peak of their careers.
Some of this disparity can be explained by women becoming stay-at-home parents and giving up their careers entirely, but that doesn’t explain every case. So why are less and less women practicing law and becoming partners? One theory is that working women with children desire more regular schedules and less pressure from their firms to increase billable hours and revenue goals. These goals are achieved through a solid marketing strategy, and women attorneys may not have time for marketing upkeep when they have so many responsibilities at home.
Attorneys are expected to spend much of their time generating new clients, and this can put enough pressure on women attorneys to push them out of the field entirely. Luckily, there are many options for women with law degrees who want to put their education and experience to use outside of a law firm.
I recently shared my insight on this topic in an article for Attorney at Law magazine. If you are a woman attorney who wants to learn more about the options available to you, read my article here.