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Legal Discrimination? Reasons Behind Low Levels Of Female Partnership In Law Firms And How To Correct It, Jeffrey L. Gower

Jeffrey L Gower

As the legal profession gradually reaches equality in numbers among male and female practitioners, the percentage of female law firm partners remains at relatively low levels. Equity partnership in a law firm remains the last bastion of male dominance, shutting the door on sharing the wealth within the profession. As stated by Reichman and Sterling, compensation disparity is clearly the foundation of gender disparity. However, the increase in female attorneys has also brought about a critical mass of women who do not want to participate in the years of long hours and high billable hours that many firms require on …