Women in the Law

In ‘The Watergate Girl,’ Jill Wine-Banks gives an inside look at the special prosecution team that brought down Nixon

Jill Wine-Banks was barely 30 when she became an assistant Watergate special prosecutor investigating President Richard M. Nixon. In The Watergate Girl: My Fight for Truth and Justice Against a Criminal President, Wine-Banks (who was then known as Jill Wine Volner) shares her experience battling political obstruction, courtroom legal wrangling and the era's sexism.

Mar 24, 2021 9:18 AM CDT

In honor of RBG’s birthday, Northwestern releases video with songs about the late justice

Tribute to Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg in Song, a documentary about Ruth Bader Ginsburg, looking at the late U.S. Supreme Court justice’s personal side, was released Monday by the Bienen School of Music at Northwestern University.

Mar 15, 2021 11:06 AM CDT

ABA’s Practice Forward group puts focus on members’ needs, well-being

The challenges confronting the legal profession as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic have been a prime focus of the 2021 ABA Midyear Meeting.

Feb 22, 2021 4:51 PM CST

ABA is on a ‘promising path forward,’ President Patricia Lee Refo says

Since taking office, ABA President Patricia Lee Refo has maintained a schedule of events that would've once been unimaginable.

Feb 22, 2021 3:46 PM CST

Harvard Law student frustrated by quest for interview suit creates her own clothing company

Searching for an interview suit was frustrating for Harvard Law School student Logan Brown. Last year, she visited several shops in her quest for proper and comfortable attire for a career fair and found nothing.

Feb 18, 2021 11:33 AM CST

Diversity ‘bottleneck’ and minority attrition keep firm leadership ranks white and male, new ABA survey says

More minorities are getting hired as associates, but law firm leadership is mostly white and male because of a diversity “bottleneck” and higher rates of minority attrition, according to an ABA survey report released Tuesday.

Feb 17, 2021 12:51 PM CST

Memo alleges sexism and harassment by Colorado judiciary; was contract intended to keep accuser silent?

The Colorado Supreme Court has planned an outside investigation after releasing an internal memo that highlights allegations of sex discrimination and harassment within the state judiciary.

Feb 10, 2021 11:06 AM CST

No federal appeals court has more female than male judges; which one is evenly balanced?

Just one federal appeals court has an equal number of active male and female judges.

Feb 9, 2021 12:22 PM CST

This judge is getting mentioned as Merrick Garland’s likely replacement, possible future SCOTUS nominee

U.S. District Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson of Washington, D.C., is a leading contender to replace Judge Merrick Garland and a possible future nominee to the U.S. Supreme Court, according to a Washington Post commentary.

Feb 8, 2021 12:07 PM CST

Female and minority lawyer representation in firms reaches historic highs, but gains are small, new report says

Progress is slow for law firms seeking to increase representation of female and minority lawyers, according to a new report by the National Association for Law Placement.

Feb 2, 2021 12:30 PM CST

NYU law prof Deborah Archer is ACLU’s new board president; fight for racial justice expected to be a priority

A professor at the New York University School of Law with expertise in civil rights has been elected as the national board president of the American Civil Liberties Union.

Feb 1, 2021 12:17 PM CST

The 19th Amendment and its legacy: Fights remain for voting inclusivity

The 2020 display of female political power came in the centennial year of the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, passed by Congress in 1919 and ratified by two-thirds of the states in 1920, which granted women the right to vote. It was a fitting coda to a 100-year-old story about women achieving access to the ballot box.

Jan 25, 2021 9:07 AM CST

BigLaw firm underpaid female partner, allowed male peers to ostracize and obstruct her, lawsuit says

A former nonequity partner at Reed Smith has alleged in a lawsuit that her male colleagues treated her unfairly, and the law firm allowed it to happen.

Jan 20, 2021 3:41 PM CST

Stanford law prof remembered as leading legal ethics scholar and advocate for access to justice

Deborah L. Rhode, a leading legal ethics scholar and strong advocate for enhanced access to justice, died last week.

Jan 12, 2021 11:20 AM CST

Judge Judy, in a rare interview, reflects on her iconic TV show as it reaches its final season

In 1987, Judge Judith Sheindlin of New York County Family Court terminated a couple’s parental rights to their two young children. The mother had shown no interest in raising them. Their father had been incarcerated for several years, and his release was many more away.

Jan 7, 2021 9:54 AM CST