Tilda Swinton, in a role that I previously talked about here, has just won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. In the movie Michael Clayton, she plays the chief counsel for a large company.
I wonder if anything I’ve done as a lawyer in my career so far can be Academy Awards material…
Well, there’s always tomorrow!
Categories: Entertainment/Fiction
Hillary Clinton made the transition. And now, perhaps Michelle Obama will.
The Globe and Mail has an interesting article about Michelle Obama and at the end of the article, brief bios of the accomplishments of previous First Ladies.
I wonder what the typical American expects of a First mate. Do they want someone who is a vocal equal, willing to take advantage of their position as a figurehead of America? Do they want someone who is quiet in the shadows of the President, the silent wind beneath the President’s wing? What happens if the public wants one but gets the other?
If Barak wins, how will Michelle handle her role? I wonder if Hillary would be willing to give her advice on that…
Categories: Politics
I know that many law schools admit equal numbers of men and women now, but it took time and effort to get to those numbers. Here’s one woman’s tale of the early years from the Washington Post…Patricia Schroeder, Former congresswoman and now president and CEO of the Association of American Publishers, Washington.
Categories: History
I just read an article from the Telegraph in the UK about the lack of women candidates in the pool for the selection of High Court judges. It seems to me that recruitment and nurturing candidates are good ideas when it comes to achieving diversity in the courts. Isn’t that what we had to do in the first place to get the gender-split enrollment to equal levels? Plant the ideas in childhood that women can be lawyers and they just might try in adulthood. The same should be done for diversity purposes. Let’s encourage minorities in North America and the UK to think about law school. Things can change.
Categories: Judiciary
The American Lawyer reports that an insider blog ran a contest recently to determine the hottest female associate at Skadden, a large firm based in the US. Due to the controversy, the hottest male associate contest has been suspended.
I’m sure that people talk all about how “hot” the nominated associates are within the firm and outside. It’s fun, no doubt. But when talk is memorialized on the internet, it becomes something else entirely, doesn’t it? I wonder if the winner and nominees are happy or upset with this type of publicity about their appearance rather than the quality of their work.
Categories: Lawyers and Law Firms
I just got my February 2008 issue of the ABA Journal which has an article with survey results purporting to show what women lawyers really think of each other.
“The 4,449 who responded in this self-selecting survey were asked whether they perceived gender-related differences in workplace performance and behavior.
On most questions, a majority said they perceived no difference. But among those who perceived differences, some were dramatic. The following charts reflect the opinions of those who perceived gender differences.”
Ah, you have to read the article carefully. As one person in the online comments to the article noted, the “real story” is that 58% said that gender didn’t matter.
But the article focuses on the 42% in the charts.
I hope that the ABA Journal will do another article on why the 58% think the way it does.
Read the comments as well. They are really interesting!
Categories: Lawyers and Law Firms · Reports/Studies
As a minority and a women, I am always happy when the legal community makes strides towards looking more like the client base it represents. Anita Alvarez would be the first woman and the first Hispanic to lead the state’s attorney’s office if elected over Republican Tony Peraica in the November general election. I’m not saying that people should vote for her because of gender alone, but seeing as there is such a large Hispanic population in Cook County, her rise in politics is news.
Her win in the Cook County Democratic primary for state’s attorney on Tuesday is a real feel-good story in that by winning, she is shaking up the system and people’s perspective of justice. As this Tribune article states:
“The good ol’ boy mentality still exists,” she said. “We need to create a better atmosphere of inclusion, and I think I’m the person to do that because I see it and I recognize it.”
As an assistant state’s attorney who often brought cases against Hispanic suspects, Alvarez said she frequently heard complaints that she had sold out her race.
“To be called a sellout is wrong because who am I speaking in court for? The victim who happens to be Hispanic as well,” she said.
Criminal courts are careful about the rights of the accused and rightly so. Prosecutors also know that they technically represent the People, not the victims of crime, but I know what Alvarez is getting at.
Categories: Politics · W.I.L.D. Women
I ran across an article in the Herald News today with this headline:
”Judicial subcircuit races to pit men vs. women”
While it is true that the races highlighted have candidates of both genders running, I wonder what that headline is trying to tell us. Okay, so each race is a man versus a woman, but it’s not like the races were structured that way on purpose. Or rather, is the headline trying to convey that it is a significant or noteworthy event to see that for every male candidate, there is a female candidate? But why not say that instead of using the phrase “pit men vs women”? There is something striking about bringing up the gender of judges at all. In my practice, I never consciously think of a judge’s gender and whether that would work for/against my client’s interest.
Categories: Judiciary
Sometimes you have to read it to believe it.
Categories: Judiciary
I’m reading a piece about a food editor/columnist who is being analyzed by “The Truth About Dating” columnist and author Steve Penner to determine her “dating quotient.” They talk about her age, her relationship history, blah blah blah, and then Penner gets to career:
Profession-wise women lawyers are the worst. Writing professions are good, creative professions are good if you want an intelligent man…
Whoa!!! What is that supposed to mean, “the worst”? I love my women friends who are lawyers. I hope that the single men out there give them a chance and don’t become intimidated by my girls. They make good money and provide for their families and friends. They are thoughtful and considerate. Give them a chance!
Categories: Home-work balance
