Female lawyers' status rises but is still less than males', studies say.

Women are expected to outnumber men in law school for the first time in the coming school year. But despite increases in enrollment and in women entering the profession, female lawyers have not progressed proportionately in their careers, according to two recent reports.

In April, the ABA's Commission on Women in the Profession reported that the status of women has increased dramatically since 1987, when the commission was founded. But women lawyers remain underrepresented in positions of greatest status, influence, and economic reward.

Although the number of women law partners, general counsels, and federal judges has doubled since 1987, women still account for only about 15 percent of federal judges and law firm partners, 10 percent of law school deans and general counsels, and 5 percent of managing partners of large firms. And significant disparities still exist between the salaries of men and women with similar qualifications, experience, and positions, the commission found.

According to another report released in January by Catalyst--a nonprofit research organization that focuses on issues affecting women in business and the professions--female lawyers are less satisfied with opportunities for advancement than their male colleagues are. The survey of more than 1,400 law graduates found that although the women and men agreed on strategies for advancement--such as developing communication skills and taking initiative--less than 30 percent of the men saw exclusion from informal networks and lack of mentoring opportunities as barring the advancement of female lawyers. Over 50 percent of the women, however, said these factors were barriers.

The ABA report addressed other impediments including lack of family-friendly policies, such as flexible or reduced-hours work schedules, and sexual harassment.

It cited a large body of research finding that women's opportunities are limited by factors other than conscious prejudice. Gender stereotypes, for instance, work against women's advancement because characteristics that are associated with success, such as assertiveness and competitiveness, often are not associated with women. The report cited large national surveys showing that between half and three-quarters of women believe they are held to higher standards than men.

To tear down these barriers, the Commission on Women suggested several courses of action for legal employers, including review of existing policies and procedures to ensure they promote equal opportunity, training in areas such as marketing and communication that affect professional development, and formal mentoring programs. In particular, employers should review sexual harassment policies to ensure they include adequate procedures for receiving complaints, provide effective sanctions, and safeguard against unwarranted accusations and excessive responses to inadvertent offenses.

The ABA commission urged legal employers to give particular attention to policies and practices concerning flexible schedules, family leave, telecommuting, and related quality-of-life issues. The Catalyst report also highlighted the importance of those issues: More than two-thirds of both male and female respondents said they find it difficult to balance the demands of work and life. In fact, 45 percent of the women and 34 percent of the men in the study cited work/life balance as one of the top reasons for choosing their current employer.

The ABA report, The Unfinished Agenda: Women and the Legal Profession, is available at www.abanet.org/women. The Catalyst report, Women in the Law: Making the Case, is available for a $90 fee at www.catalystwomen.org/publications.