Reaching out to Native American women who are members of the Washington State Bar Association.
SURVEY TO FOCUS ON FEMALE ATTORNEYS OF COLOR IN WASHINGTON
SEATTLE – Female attorneys state-wide will be asked to share their experiences in an online survey starting June 21, when the 2010 Fellows of the Washington State Bar Association Leadership Institute (WLI) begins the first targeted inquiry into the experiences of female attorneys of color in Washington.
According to national studies, female attorneys, particularly those of color, face barriers to success in the legal profession and leave the practice of law at alarming rates. Currently, there is no similar data for Washington, although anecdotally, local female attorneys of color describe difficulties being accepted by colleagues, receiving recognition for good work, and getting the support and mentorship necessary to succeed.
“Washington State women attorneys of color have a real, meaningful opportunity to voice their experiences in the legal profession through this much needed WLI survey,” said Latina/o Bar Association of Washington immediate-past president Nicole McGrath. “Nationally, capable women attorneys of color are leaving our profession in droves. The results of this survey should spur into action the Washington State Bar Association, judicial bench and other legal community stakeholders to effectively find ways to turn the tide.”
Female attorneys of color experience compounded difficulties in achieving professional satisfaction and success due to their double minority status as both female and person of color. In the late 1990s, the National Association of Law Placement found that more than 75% of minority female associates had left their jobs in private law firms within five years of being hired, and after eight years the percentage of those leaving rose to 86%. The numbers did not improve over time: by 2005, 81% of minority female associates had left their law firms within five years of being hired. A 2006 study by the American Bar Association found that female attorneys of color reported experiencing barriers to success at a much higher rate than white men, including: demeaning comments or harassment, doubt as to career commitment after having or adopting children, marginalization in their firms, being denied desirable assignments, and receiving unfair performance evaluations. (See Visible Invisibility’s Executive Summary: http://www.abanet.org/women/VisibleInvisibility-ExecSummary.pdf)
The survey will be open until July 12 for female attorneys practicing in Washington, or who have previously practiced in Washington, after logging in at http://www.mywsba.org.
The mission of the WSBA Leadership Institute is to recruit, train, and retain Washington attorneys who have been admitted to practice for three to 10 years for leadership positions in the legal community and in the WSBA.
Turtle Talk 