Women Lawyers

Description

A must-read for every woman in the midst of—or contemplating—a career in law, and for the men who work with them.
 
The very presence of women in law—normal as it may seem to us today—signals revolutionary change in a social order that for centuries entrusted control over its rules to men. Mona Harrington examines both the problems women meet when they claim equal authority as rule makers and the impact of new perspectives and issues that women bring with them into the profession.
 
On the basis of more than one hundred interviews with women lawyers, judges, and law school professors and students, and through the stories of their daily experiences, Harrington pinpoints and analyzes the key factors holding women back in a profession still dominated by males—among them the “men’s club” ambience, the focus on billable hours, sexual harassment and the inequality it perpetuates, lingering unequal division of labor at home, and hostile media images of women in positions of power. 
 
She shows us what life is like for women lawyers in practice today and how their dilemmas reflect the social issues of our time. She gives us the voices of women who have adapted to the cultural codes of corporate law and women who have broken them; women who have successfully balanced their professional and private lives and women who feel trapped by the combination of long hours at the office and full responsibility at home. She introduces us to women in new and alternative firms, on the faculties of small public law schools, in in-house legal departments, and in prosecutors’ offices and courtrooms—women who are devising new rules and legal theories to bring about change.“An absorbing mosaic of the issues impeding advancement of her subjects. Women lawyers, she argues plausibly, ‘are on dangerous ground,’ connected to both the male establishment and the majority of women, yet anchored by neither. She describes the professional, legal and social strictures that hamper women at corporate law firms… Harrington provides much food for thought.”—Publishers Weekly
 
“Richly illustrated with examples and anecdotes, and the style is warm, intelligent, and personable.”—Library Journal

“Harrington paints a disturbing picture of the current situation in the American legal arena: good ol’ boy networks, insurmountable billable hours, and general hostility toward change—particularly change set in motion by women. Through more than 100 interviews with female graduates from Harvard Law School, Harrington describes the frustrations, the stress, and even the immense successes these women have found… An excellent and thorough look at a field loaded with possibilities but burdened by tradition.”—Booklist
 
“An important and incisive study, of potential interest to all women professionals.”—Kirkus Reviews

“Travels far beyond its lucid analysis of women and the legal profession to raise profound issues about feminist thought and the problem of equality. Blessedly free of jargon, this is a book for Everywoman and Everyman.”—Jill Ker Conway, author of The Road from Coorain
 
“An important and perceptive analysis of the influx of women into the legal profession: Mona Harrington successfully explores both the demands of the law on women’s lives and the potential for women to transform the rule-making process.”—Madeleine Kunin, former Governor of Vermont and United States Ambassador to Switzerland
 
“A most important book for all lawyers who seek to understand the crucial connection between law and politics, and how in a democracy, public pressure becomes converted into rules. Anyone seriously interested in the quality of our system of justice should read this book.”—Daniel R. Coquillette, Charles Warren Visiting Professor of American Legal History, Harvard Law SchoolMONA HARRINGTON, the author of three previous books, was educated at the University of Massachusetts and at Harvard University, where she received a law degree and a doctorate in political science. She has served as a lawyer in the State Department, raised three children, and taught political science and women’s studies before turning to writing full-time. She lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts.US