Creating a Seat at the Table

Eighteen female lawyers—some with highly successful careers behind them, some just starting out—reflect on their hopes, challenges, triumphs, and, sometimes, regrets.

Creating a Seat at the Table is an edited collection that compiles the experiences of eighteen women as they navigate their way through the male-dominated spaces of law school and the legal profession. Hear from women from different generations and areas of the law—big and small law firms, legal aid, government and politics, the judiciary, in-house positions, administrative agencies. The authors discuss a multitude of issues they’ve faced in their careers, including the compound effects of discrimination based on race, sexual orientation, or disability as well as gender. The stories presented here are inspirational at times and discomforting at others.

Creating a Seat at the Table shows that much has been done to advance women in law but also highlights that much remains to be done.