Seeking female friendly law firm
As a woman, I am very concerned with the stories I hear about the way senior partners treat female associates. I'm sure some are exaggerated, but I'm also sure some are true. After seven years of undergraduate and graduate education, I don't want to be treated like a little girl.
Any thoughts?
-- Anonymous, November 22, 1999.
Surviving as a woman in a large law firm
It is my experience after many years of working in two different, large law firms in DC that you need to take charge of your own career. No one will give you want you, particularly if you are not willing to stand up and tell them what that is. Also, I think that you have to work at making a name for yourself, not only within the firm but also outside. Get involved in bar activities, write articles, speak about area(s) of your expertise. This will help not only your self-confidence, but also will help you be taken seriously. Although it should not be necessary for women to go above and beyond, it in my experience is true that you are less likely to be taken seriously at salary if you don't have these kinds of credentials. At the same, developing these credentials is part of what everyone seems to agree is part of "marketing" these days. Therefore, doing these things should help you develop your own business. At a minimum, if your firm falls apart or you decide to move on, you will have a large network of contacts to call upon for advice or maybe even a job.
I wish that I had started this process ten years earlier in my career than I did, but better late than never. Good luck.
-- Anonymous, December 26, 1999.
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District of Columbia
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