The report's conclusions will be discussed over the next two days at a National Women's Leadership Summit at Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government. Though Massachusetts has a good record of appointing women to judicial posts, the report rings true for private law firms in the state, said Joan Lukey, the president of the Boston Bar Assocation. Nor are law firm partnerships the only area in the legal world where women are underrepresented. Women also make up only 10 percent of law school deans and corporate general counsels, the ABA study finds. Still, Lukey said the fact that only 15 percent of law firm partnerships are held by women may be the most disturbing figure.
Lawyers typically become eligible for partnerships after seven or eight years in the profession.
But this is also the same time period that many women begin to start families. To Lukey, these numbers suggest that law firms are not being as supportive and flexible as they could be, such as in allowing female attorneys with young children to work from home, for example. But old stereotypes may also be playing a role when it comes to choosing women for leadership positions, Lukey said.