Personal Narrative: A Career As An Attorney

Words: 686
Pages: 3
Open Document
As an aspiring young attorney, I want to be a compelling, capable advocate for my clients. Some external factors outside of my control, however, might prevent me from being a successful lawyer. Specifically, I am concerned that other people’s perceptions of me, based on my identity and appearance, could hamper my effectiveness as an attorney. During my first experience working for a firm, I noticed that most female attorneys were either relegated to the less trendy or lucrative practice groups, or left to languish doing endless document review or other low-level work. Were these lawyers in these positions because they were women?
With one year left in law school, I often think about the largest barriers I will face in my career. I am concerned …show more content…
As research suggests, historically the legal profession was not accessible to all racial and ethnic groups, women, or other disadvantaged communities. Thus, explicit bias created a barrier to gender equality in the legal field. However, since the "Golden Age” in the 1950s, when large law firms hired only top law school candidates, without any focus on diversity, the legal profession has undergone a dramatic, positive change to increase diversity. In the past few decades, law firms have made marked changes in their hiring practices, partnership tracks, and relationships with clients. In June 2016, more than 44.8 percent of associates in the country's largest law firms were women. This trend indicates that explicit bias has been largely eliminated as a barrier to entering the legal …show more content…
While the number of female lawyers has increased over the last decade, between 2014 and 2015, only 23 percent of newly elected equity partners–partners who share in the firm's gains–were women. Moreover, among non-equity partners who graduated from law schools after 2004, 37 percent were women and 63 percent were men. Women began their professional trajectories on the same path as men and receive nearly the same number of associate roles. Men, however, become partners at leading law firms far more often than women. The American Bar Association (ABA) has enacted numerous diversity initiatives to attract and retain women, like the Grit and Growth Project. The enactment of Model Rule 8.4(g) helps to end discrimination in the workplace by allowing certain misconduct to be labeled explicitly as discrimination or harassment. Despite these initiatives, the gap between men and women persists. This discrepancy has led to a discussion: Why are women underrepresented in law
Show More

Related Documents: Personal Narrative: A Career As An Attorney

Clarence Thomas Research Paper

regarded as one of the most mysterious justices as he takes a more conservative approach during cases. Thomas' impact on constitutional interpretation and legal precedent echoed through the highest court in the land. Beyond his judicial duties, Thomas' personal journey and his bond to originalism have produced both admiration and criticism, making him a figure of significant interest and controversy. By shedding light on the complexities of Justice Thomas' judicial philosophy and the controversies that…

Words 2756 - Pages 12

5 soical issues Essay

power remain fixed. Perverse, because in order to significantly increase social mobility, educational opportunities for less prosperous children must be significantly increased, which will lead to a decrease in access to the best universities and careers. Schools are supposed to be America’s instrument of social mobility, but they are clearly failing in that job. “The United States ranks twenty-first of twenty-six Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries in high school…

Words 1438 - Pages 6

Whitey Bulger Crime

according to many accounts so was Whitey. However, he vehemently denies this in the documentary. We never see Bulger in the documentary except in surveillance video but we do get to listen in on direct conversations between him and his lead defense attorney. Bulger states that the leader of the New England task force, Jeremiah T. O’Sullivan came to him for protection, fearing for his life after the takedown of the ‘Patriarcha’ crime family in Boston. Whitey states that in return for his protection that…

Words 2157 - Pages 9

Alexander Hamilton Essay

Elizabeth Schuyler, the daughter of American Revolution, Philip Schuyler. Shortly after Hamilton dropped out and began political writings opposing Samuel Seabury’s pamphlets promoting the Loyalists. He also continued writing pieces supporting his personal political party “the Federalist Party” (Ronemus 1995). After Hamilton's heroic accomplishment in writing he was appointed an aide to General Washington. In this position his writing skills and keen sense of judgment would prove essential to the…

Words 1277 - Pages 6

The Wall Growing Up Behind The Iron Curtain Summary

S G I R O U X Teachers’ Guide The Wall: Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain by Peter Sís Introduction In The Wall, one man’s personal history reveals a larger story: the history of a country, the vagaries of culture, the power of world politics, and the universal human longing for personal freedom. Through the narrative, the journal entries, and the captions, and by examining and re-examining the pictures, readers see the second half of the twentieth century from Peter…

Words 3303 - Pages 14

Essay on California Peace Officer Study Guide 1

Official Police Department Study Guide and Sample Test View thousands of Law Enforcement Job Openings Visit www.PoliceFBIJobs.com APPLICANT PREPARATION GUIDE FOR THE POST ENTRY-LEVEL TEST BATTERY PREPARING FOR THE MULTIPLE-CHOICE AND CLOZE EXAMS There are many different types of tests. The two most familiar types are achievement tests and aptitude tests. Achievement tests measure what is already known while aptitude tests measure the probability of a person's success in some unfamiliar area…

Words 9206 - Pages 37

Essay about Having Our Say

continue to be ambitious throughout his life, eventually becoming a bishop. All ten of the Delany children went to college, a high standard in the modern world and almost unheard of in the early 1900s, especially for blacks. At the time of Delany's career, the family was relatively unknown outside their hometown of Raleigh, North Carolina. In a book written by Gail Lumet Buckley, the daughter of songstress Lena Horne, the Delanys would rank at the very top of black intelligentsia. The black press…

Words 9592 - Pages 39

Business: Veto and Governors Essay

POWERS OF THE GOVERNORS The preceding sections examined the pivotal roles that governors must play when occupying the office today. To fulfill these many roles, governors must have a variety of tools, resources, and powers at their disposal. These assets come in a variety of forms. Some powers come from the office of the governorship itself. These are called formal, or institutional, powers. Enabling powers also derive from the office. Enabling powers are the staff and other support that the state…

Words 9104 - Pages 37

American Fascism Is on the Rise Essay example

that the U.S. was no longer invading anyone's country, and that I was responsible for an infant now, I went back into the Army. One thing led to another, and as it turned out I was good at something called special operations, and I ended up making a career of it. By the time I signed out on terminal leave in December 1995, I had worked in eight places designated "armed conflict areas," where people who were brown and poor seemed to be the principle targets of these "special" operations. At some point…

Words 6123 - Pages 25

Study Guide Essay

714-547-5777 www.calcoast.edu 10/14 Study Guide Seventh Edition, 2013 BAM 411 Human Resource Management Message From the President W elcome to California Coast University. I hope you will find this course interesting and useful throughout your career. This course was designed to meet the unique needs of students like you who are both highly motivated and capable of completing a degree program through distance learning. Our faculty and administration have been involved in distance learning for…

Words 25132 - Pages 101