According to Enjuris, in 2017, female enrollment in law schools was more than the male enrollment, marking the second year for this to happen since 2016. While more women are enrolled in law schools, they are still under-presented in the industry –, especially in leadership positions. While this is a whole different topic, more women in law schools is still a step in the right direction and we’ll discuss what’s behind this trend below.
Empowerment
For the longest time, women practicing law weren’t exactly common. Much less were women lawyers and attorneys. But all this is likely to change based on the above statistics. Through empowerment, women are more likely to cross barriers that would have been otherwise holding them back. There are now many women-focused scholarships and aids that help them cover their law school and make it in the law world. Aside from scholarships though, the societal values are also changing and women lawyers aren’t seen differently now.
More diversity
Likewise, people of minorities are also more common in law schools. According to the American Bar Association, approximately 20% of those who attended law schools over the past two decades identified as minorities. Some of the country’s most prestigious law schools, like the Harvard Law School, report minority students making up 40% of incoming classes.
Clearing up myths
There are a lot of myths and stereotypes surrounding women in business alone but the same applies to the law world as well. Most of them come from gender-related issues. Probably the biggest myth has to do with the idea that entrepreneurs are all men because men are more likely to start their own ventures in the business and law world. This is not the case, and if anything, it’s the opposite. According to Score, the U.S. census showed that the number of women-owned businesses increased by 45% from 2007 to 2016.
Personal injury industry
This might seem like a small niche in the law industry, but it also highlights the importance of women in the law. Based on the trial and the case, clients have shown that they would feel more comfortable working with a female personal injury lawyer. When victims start preferring more female lawyers, they should be available. At the end of the day it comes down to the client’s preference and if they happen to trust a female lawyer more – this would speed up the process by a lot.
Continuing to inspire
Finally, though the trend isn’t major – it’s still noticeable. And the payoff is that more women get inspired to get involved in the law world by reading success stories. It’s no longer a men-majority dominated industry, and empowering women is only the first step to seeing the industry welcome more women and minorities. More lawyers who are passionate about their work and want to make the world a better place is always great. And the more diverse they are, the more people they’ll be able to help and change the industry as we know it.
