Overview
When the history of the legal profession is written, 2016 to 2026 may become known as the Decade of the Female Lawyer — a time when the profession started to noticeably shift from a male majority to a female majority. Consider:
- In 2016, women became a majority of law school students.
- In 2020, women became a majority of general lawyers in the federal government.
- In 2023, women became a majority of law firm associates.
- In 2024 or 2025, women will likely become a majority of full-time law school faculty members.
It’s a meaningful change, although men still dominate the upper echelons of the legal profession through federal judgeships, state supreme courts, law firm partnerships and corporate counsel positions.
There are still many more male lawyers than female lawyers in the United States, but that is changing, too. Slowly.
This chapter examines how far women have come in the U.S. legal profession, the milestones they have achieved in recent years and where progress in gender equality lags.
- 56.2% Percentage of law students who are women
- 51.5% Percentage of federal government general lawyers who are women
- 50.3% Percentage of law firm associates who are women
- 49.2% Percentage of full-time law school faculty who are women