Are Women Lawyers Selling Themselves Short?

At a recent local bar association committee meeting, one committee member commented that, as women lawyers, we should be doing more to mentor other women within the profession.

Many women talk about 'glass ceiling' issues. They lament that, although women have made great strides in the profession and that more and more women are entering law school and the profession each year, women are still not 'equal' to men in this profession. There are fewer female judges, law firm managing partners or lawyers in positions of power elsewhere in the profession. Many women argue that, on average, men still make more money than women.

In short, there seems to be a lot of talk about women's position in the profession. But what are the successful and experienced women in the profession doing about it? There are women's bar associations, women in the law initiatives and committees, but how many women are actively participating? How many women lawyers are leading by example? And how many women are actively nurturing, mentoring or teaching young female attorneys? Have we done enough to further the cause of women in the profession?

This post isn't meant to suggest that men can't mentor women, or that women can't mentor men. Nor is it meant to suggest that women need more help or mentoring than men. And it isn't meant to suggest that all women (or men) communicate, behave or respond the same way.

The comment I mentioned at the beginning of this post struck me, particularly since it came in the context of a discussion about whether our local bar association should present a CLE program geared specifically toward women, or whether that would appear to be 'weak.'

One woman at the meeting (who is also a judge) expressed the opinion that creating a program that was specifically aimed at issues faced by women in the profession, and talking openly about the differences between women and men in the profession might give the men the impression that the women did not have a strong position in the profession. Some suggested that, instead of announcing the fact that we were talking about those differences, and that the program was 'really' geared toward women, the title and materials for the program should be made more gender neutral, for fear of alienating one half of the association.

But shouldn't exploring the differences between men and women in how they communicate, what they respond to, how they approach relationships with colleagues and clients, and the different challenges faced by women and men within the profession strengthen all of us? Not all women communicate the same way, nor do all men behave the same way, and vice versa. But studies have shown that there are some differences that tend to fall along gender lines. Neither approach is inherently 'good' or 'bad.' Learning about those differences might help us to communicate better with one another and with our clients, and I'd be willing to be that taking the time to learn more about each other will also help us to combat some of the problems we face as a profession - including the poor reputation of lawyers, the high rate of depression, job dissatsifaction, burnout, etc.

Although women may not yet be 'equal' in this profession, the fact is that more and more women are entering the profession. And more and more of them are opening their own firms because they are dissatisfied with what they're finding at other law firms. That means those law firms will be in competition, not only for business, but for the next generation of young lawyers graduating from law schools. And women are gaining ground as business owners, CEOs, house counsel, and in the judiciary.

Given the above, assuming that there are differences in the ways that men and women communicate, how they behave, what they respond positively to, and what they are motivated by, is it worth learning about those differences?

I'd love to hear your comments. Should women be more actively mentoring other women? Are young female lawyers lacking sufficient guidance, wisdom, mentors and role models among women lawyers? Should we as a profession place more emphasis on learning more about the communication style, business tactics, motivations, strengths and weaknesses of both genders?