Women in law school: An examination of the experiences of two groups of women lawyers

This dissertation considers the law school experiences of two groups of women lawyers: those admitted to the Bar in the state of Illinois during the years 1950 to 1970 and those admitted to the Bar during the years 1978 to 1986. Since the number of women attending law school changed dramatically during the 1960s, particular attention was given to whether or not the law school experiences of these two groups of women had changed as the population of law schools changed. Additional consideration was given to the differences in the professional socialization experiences of the two groups and to their ability to get first jobs in the legal profession in areas of the law that interested them.;Three hundred women lawyers, approximately one hundred and fifty from each cohort, were surveyed about their reasons for attending law school, choosing the law school they attended, their participation in a variety of law school activities, their treatment by faculty and classmates, and their careers since law school. Additionally, twenty women, ten from each cohort, were interviewed in face-to-face interviews about a variety of similarities and differences between the two groups that emerged from the survey data. Careful attention was given to selecting women for the interviews from a number of urban, suburban, small town, and rural practice settings.;Results of the study seem to show that while law school itself seemed to change little in regards to curricula during the years in question, second cohort women were generally treated more hospitably by faculty and classmates alike. First cohort women tended to be more competitive and slightly more academically successful than second cohort women; however, unlike second cohort women who had little difficulty getting their first jobs following law school, first cohort women had great difficulty getting a first job in any area of law that interested them. Nevertheless, first cohort women seem to have gone on to craft successful careers, despite some inauspicious experiences in the years immediately following law school. Most second cohort women are still in the process of building their careers.