Adams — Volume 63, Issue 5

Adams and Engel provide an empirical analysis of gender representation in large law firms and law schools, examining progress on the persistent gender gap in the legal profession. Gender representation in law firms has received scholarly attention and was the subject of the Supreme Court case King & Spalding; Ellen Pao lost a publicized gender discrimination suit against Kleiner, Perkins, Caufield & Byers, highlighting ongoing disparities. While progress has been made in thirty years—law schools and firms have moved beyond days when Title VII did not apply to law firm partnerships and when Justice Bradley claimed women were unfit for lucrative professions—disparities persist. The article challenges some existing literature suggesting female participation in large law firms remains limited despite academic qualifications. Using data from approximately 33,000 law firm partners across 115 different national law firms, the authors analyze trends in gender diversity/disparity across geographic locations and time. The study examines how school reputation, firm size, profitability, and other factors affect hiring patterns and partnership advancement. Results show progress extending beyond 10-30% of partnership positions; women are past the stage of disproportionate assignment to less profitable offices; and academic qualifications between genders are now comparable. The article provides prospective students and associates concrete data about gender representation in large firms and law schools, informing career decisions.

Topics: Civil Rights · Legal Theory · Labor & Employment

Keywords: gender discrimination · law firm partnerships · gender diversity · women lawyers · hiring patterns · law school gender composition · Title VII · professional advancement