Women in the Law
Women’s success in legal careers: Lack of advancement is not a woman problem, it’s a profession problem
By Patricia Lee Refo
ABA President Patricia Lee Refo. Photo courtesy of ABA Media Relations.
A June 29 ABA Journal column by Susan Smith Blakely titled “Are women lawyers paying enough attention to upward mobility?” offered opinions that are antithetical to the core beliefs and principles of the American Bar Association.
The lack of upward mobility by women in the profession is not because women are not putting in the time and effort, nor is it because they are distracted by other concerns in their lives. Legal employers have plenty of systemic issues that need to be faced head-on when it comes to the promotion and retention of women attorneys. Blaming women attorneys is appalling.