I've often heard Commission on Women in the Profession members say, "we've admired the problem long enough; now let's do something about it." And the Commission has made great strides during the past 20 years to ensure that women have opportunities equal to those of their male colleagues. But it is sad to note that the Commission's goals may not be completed - even with another 20 years of hard work.

Despite the huge numbers of women entering the legal profession, they are still paid less than men as brand-new lawyers - when neither has experience nor a book of business. The disparities grow from there. Women have less chance to become equity partners than men. And as women move up the judicial ladder, there are fewer and fewer females until we reach the U.S. Supreme Court, where Ruth Bader Ginsburg alone holds down the fort. In law schools there is still the "pink ghetto" of non-tenure-track clinical and legal-writing programs. Only four women have been elected ABA president in 130+ years, so let's not stop counting there either.

The Commission and women face very real issues. Discrimination has become more invidious and less transparent, and most young women don't even believe that gender discrimination will affect them. The latter scenario has been coined "the no-problem problem." Finally, there is the fatigue factor. Those of us who became lawyers before 1980 are becoming weary. In fact, women are retiring from the law at an earlier age on average than male baby boomers, thereby stripping the profession of many of its older female lawyers.

One thing is certain: It isn't the time to turn tail and run. The Commission's 12 members, the Commission's alumni and friends, and the ABA's leadership are determined to work hard and work smart to secure full and equal participation in the ABA, the legal profession, and the justice system. This mission has guided the Commission's work as it develops programs and policies and produces valuable publications to bring the day of complete equality to reality.

The Commission has given women a Fair Measure Toward Effective Attorney Evaluations (1997) for use in the workplace. It has recognized the Burdens of Both, the Privileges of Neither (1994), which are challenges racially and ethnically diverse women face. It has offered young female lawyers the Women in Law Leadership Academy because they haven't found training in their job settings. It has armed lawyers with tools to champion the rights of victims of reproductive cancers through the Breast Cancer Legal Advocacy Initiative. And through so many other avenues, the Commission on Women in the Profession makes a dramatic difference in women lawyers' lives.

As we celebrate the lives of our foremothers in the law through the Oral Histories of Women Trailblazers project (2006) and the lives of our heroes at the Margaret Brent Women Lawyers of Achievement luncheon, let's agree that we are on board the train until it reaches the station of equality for all women in the law. I have my seat, and there's one for you, too.

Congratulations on the first 20 years. You've come a long way, baby!