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In 1918, the first womanjoined the American Bar Association (ABA), which at the time had 11,000members.
Clearly, female attorneys were an extreme rarity at the turn of the century.But nearly 100 years later, is the legal industry still dominated by men?
While reports show that enrollment of women in law schools, now more than 50percent female, has surged over the years, reality is that the legal profession is still predominately male.
According to the ABA'sCommission on Women in the Profession, created in 1987 to assess the status ofwomen in the legal field, females make up 31 percent of the profession and 32percent of lawyer ABA members. Yet, women don't typically predominate inpositions of power - for example the numbers of female equity partners at lawfirms is lagging. The good news: female attorneys are definitely on the increase. In 1951, only three percent of attorneys were female!
Female lawyers havecertainly make significant gains over the years, and the ABA Commission onWomen in the Profession continuously works to help enhance the status of womenin the law - focusing on securing the full and equal participation of women inthe ABA and the legal profession overall. In San Diego, the local counterpart tothis is Lawyers Club San Diego, a 40-year old organizationwhich seeks to advance the status of women in the law and in society. Founded in 1972, Lawyers Club was named to indicate that it is not a clubexclusively for women, but one open to all who are committed to fair treatmentunder the law, regardless of sex.
Naturally, we are thrilledthat longtime Casey Gerry attorney Wendy Behan recently took charge of LawyersClub, a vital, constructive and respected force within San Diego County. Infact, she has joined the ranks of local San Diego legal luminaries such asBonnie Dumanis, Lynn Schenk, and Marilyn Huff to be elected president, and wasofficially inducted at Lawyers Club annual dinner on May 26.
Congratulations Wendy -- weare confident your tenure with Lawyers Club will be a successful and productiveone!