Sociology Commons^™

Race And Gender In The Advancement To Partnership: Perceptions Of Black Female Lawyers, Tsedale M. Melaku

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This dissertation examines the barriers to recruitment, professional development and inclusivity, and advancement to partnership for black female lawyers in elite corporate law firms. Black female lawyers confront numerous obstacles as they seek to rise to partnership (e.g. lack of mentorship; sponsorship and substantive assignments; exclusion from social and professional networks; and limited exposure to quality training). All associates suffer from the demands of corporate law firms such as working long hours, exclusion from social activities, and limited family contact. These factors inevitably contribute to high attrition rates. However, the accounts of black female lawyers within this study are richly …