Gender Bias In BigLaw

An ABA Journal article reported on survey results of new partners and noted that "[a] greater percentage of female lawyers had a longer path to partnership than their male counterparts. The American Lawyer survey found that about 80 percent of the male lawyers surveyed made partner within a decade, compared to 66 percent of the women."

Other survey findings:

• Only 78 percent of new female partners said they felt adequately prepared for the job, compared to 90 percent of men.

• Only 83 percent of new female partners said they had been asked to lead a team on a matter, compared to 93 percent of men.

• Thirty percent of new female partners who weren't satisfied with some aspect of partnership cited gender bias as a reason. Twenty-eight percent cited cronyism.

We've come a long way in terms of gender equality in the law, but study after study shows that there is still gender bias in our largest firms. "In the U.S. only 15% of partners in law firms are women, and they earn less than their male counterparts."

Here is an interesting video from the NYTimes discussing the expectations of young female attorneys and their views 12 years later. Many of the findings in the survey seem to correspond with the real-life expectations and results of female attorneys hired into BigLaw.