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Unequal Access - Women Lawyers in a Changing America

NCJ Number
95722
Author(s)
R Chester
Date Published
1985
Length
142 pages
Annotation
This text chronicles the experiences of women who attended law school in the 1920's and 1930's and examines, through oral histories, their access to the legal profession.
Abstract
Interviews were conducted with 50 women who had graduated from the Portia Law School in Boston, the Washington College of Law and George Washington University in Washington, D.C., and the Chicago-Kent Law School in Chicago. In the 1920's and 1930's, admission to legal practice was possible without law school training; however, the entrenchment of State bar exams made law school a necessary preparation. Several patterns of women's law school experiences emerged: the middle- or upper-class woman with a college education was often admitted as one of several women in a full-time school; however, the working-class or lower-middle-class woman, whose numbers were far greater, was generally less successful in being admitted, for financial reasons. Regarding access to the legal profession, the depression years of the 1930's made it very difficult for women to get legal business. Some, particularly in Washington, found refuge in the administration of New Deal programs; others became housewives, taking occasional cases. Some women, usually those with upper-middle-class backgrounds, made it into big-firm practice or important government or academic work. Networking organizations which helped these law pioneers to find employment are considered. The sample interview format is provided, and approximately 200 references are included.

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