Law Students

Law Firm Hierarchy: Is Rank Unfeminine?

By Jabberwocky

I enjoyed a coversation recently with a male friend who inquired about my looming future career as a "big firm lawyer." I expressed some rational doubt and hesitancy about my future - anyone who thinks that gearing up from the luxurious gliding pace of 3L year to the 80 hour week grind is going to be easy is living in a wonderful dream world. My friend mentioned that "It must be hard for women to assimilate to that world." Intrigued, and perhaps preemptively annoyed, I questioned him further and he responded that while men are naturally drawn to rank, order, the militancy of a hierarchy, women are more interested in "networks" and have more success within employment structures that allow for a more diverse array of relationships. In other words, he felt the very structure of big law firms was "masculine," and benefited men while it challenged women. 

While I appreciate his point that competitive men weaned on war games as children may be more drawn to a rigid pecking order, I am not so convinced that thie law firm setting is naturally anti-female. For example, the "lockstep" law firm structure ensures that women will have opportunities for advancement as associates (if, admittedly not as partners) and lessens the risk that they will be (inadvertently or otherwise) penalized for their gender. In addition, when women first began climbing the law firm ladder the predictable and uniform pace of advancement may have prevented "the old boys club" mentality from causing unfair discrepancies.

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Full post as published by Ms. JD on October 26, 2008 (boomark / email).