Feature
Article
MCBA Explores
the Unique Issues and Experiences of Women Lawyers of
Color
On June 19, 2008,
the Magic City Bar Association presented the 2nd
Women in the Legal Profession symposium. Currently,
there are 15,766 members of the Alabama State Bar. By
gender, 71.7% are male and 28.3% are women. When the
numbers are broken down by race, 93.5% are Caucasian, while
African Americans make up only 6% of that number. Of
that 6%, less than 3% are African American women.
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The 1st Women in the Legal
Profession symposium was held in 2006. The program came about as an
effort to explore the unique experiences of African American
women attorneys in the legal profession. Study after
study - including 1998 and 2000 studies by the NALP Foundation
(a research group associated with the National Association
of Law Placement) - show that minority female lawyers have
exceptional attrition rates in large law firms, defined as
25 attorneys or more. By some measures, nearly 100%
of these women leave law firms within eight years. Other
studies put the number closer to 66% within five years. The
alarming attrition rate of African American women lawyers
is not only isolated to large law firms, but is also evident
in other areas of the legal profession as well. To
that end, the main theme of this year's program was “Retaining
Women of Color in the Legal Profession” and consisting
of three panel discussions.
Sharing their thoughts
on "Visible Invisibility:
The ABA Report – The Issues, The Response, The Solutions" were
attorneys Dana Bolden Hill, Cynthia Ransburg-Brown, Lisa
Sharp, and Jacqueline Smoke. The panel was moderated
by attorney Alicia F. Bennett.
Providing insight on "The Road Not Taken:
Alternative Career Paths for Women of Color, Getting the
Job, and Succeeding in it" panel were attorneys Celeste Armstrong,
Professor LaJuana Davis, Daisy Holder, Erica Sheffield, Delores
Simmons Owens, and Sabrina Simon. This panel was moderated
by attorney LaVeeda Morgan Battle.
The third panel discussion
was entitled "Judging
the Judiciary: The Black Woman in the Black Robe" and was
moderated by Former United States District Court Judge Vanzetta
Penn McPherson. Panelists included Jefferson County
Circuit Court Judges, Helen Shores Lee and Katrina Ross ,
and Municipal Court Judges, Annetta H. Verin and Agnes Chappell.
Though the pattern of attrition
for African American women attorneys in the legal field is
undeniable, there are those who have broken through barriers
and whose experiences can inform the experiences of those
African American attorneys with fewer years in the profession. The
MCBA hopes through this program that the dialogue on how
the legal profession can facilitate the full and vigorous
participation of this group of talented attorneys will continue. |
