Study: More Men Go Into Solo Practice

Law Firms

Posted Sep 18, 2007, 03:55 pm CDT
By Martha Neil

It might seem counterintuitive. But a massive 10-year study found that men going into solo practice far outnumber the women who do so.

Although more women associates and partners leave law firms than men, it isn't to go into solo practice. About two-thirds of the lawyers who launch their own one-attorney law firms are men, despite the fact that some women, as stereotype has it, might be more likely to do so with the support of a salaried spouse, according to a New York Lawyer (reg. req.) reprint of a National Law Journal article.

Possible explanations for the discrepancy include a greater reluctance by women to take risks, a need for the stability and benefits that a position with a larger law firm provides and increasing efforts by some law firms to establish a workplace that supports parents of young children.

Particularly for a lawyer with a specialized practice, "It's very difficult to make a living," says Andrea Eckl, a Hicksville, N.Y. matrimonial lawyer. She started her own firm at home after graduating from law school in 1982, because she wanted to have children, and then practiced as a solo for 25 years. Had she been single when she went out on her own, Eckl says, she couldn't have made it financially.

But others say solo practice is a good option. "More women need to understand there are bigger, brighter and better options for being entrepreneurs than they fully understand," says Susan Cartier. Formerly a Northford, Conn., sole practitioner, she now is a consultant for lawyers considering such careers.

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Posted by Steve - 1 year, 3 weeks, 2 days, 21 minutes ago

Alright, I’ll bite. Why would a larger number of men going into solo practice seem counterintuitive? What would intuition suggest about men choosing to go solo? These can be rhetorical questions, but it would also be interesting to explore the expectations about male lawyers that might make the statistics seem counterintuitive.

I went into solo practice in 1994 precisely because I didn’t want to deal with the hassles of “big law.” I recently started blogging at the JD Bliss Blog and, based on my experience and observations so far, men seem to value quality of life, too. I don’t think either sex has a monopoly on work/life issues or the need to balance family responsibilities with their careers.
Posted by Katherine - 1 year, 2 weeks, 1 day, 5 hours, 41 minutes ago

Women often have a higher amount of medical expenses than men. So things like good health benefits are probably even more important to women than men.

Many women become government attorneys in order to balance career and quality of life. So, while both men and women do have a need to balance family and career, I think men choose to go solo more often and women choose to work for government or non-profits more often.

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