The past 25 years have seen tremendous progress in one of the most important developments critical to women’s advancement in the legal profession: the extensive research and knowledge with respect to leadership and the unique unconscious bias women lawyers face. And while the percentages of women in equity partner positions in law firms have stagnated over this time, and much work remains to be done before women lawyers achieve true parity with their male counterparts, there nonetheless are significant achievements of which we can and should be proud.
As you will read in this special issue of Perspectives, we can celebrate that many women lawyers have figured out the “secret sauce” and have broken through the glass ceiling to become successful leaders in law firms, corporations, academia, nonprofit organizations, and other work environments. Opportunities are available to women if they get the training and education they need, do their homework, and have the discipline to stay on track and work their plans.