E X E C U T I V E D I R E C T O R ’ S M E S S A G E J o h n F . K y n e s – H i l l s b o r o u g h C o u n t y B a r A s s o c i a t i o n
newaBareportspotlightsriseofFemale LawyersinLegalprofession ; Labels2016to 2026asthe “ decadeoftheFemaleLawyer ”
“ eachyear , older , predominantlymalelawyersareretiringwhile younger , predominantlyfemalelawyersareenteringtheprofession .”
— aBa ’ s2024profileoftheLegalprofession
The American Bar Association ( ABA ) released its sixth annual Profile of the Legal Profession this past November , offering some interesting findings about the state of the legal profession in the
United States .
The report ’ s chapter on women in the legal profession indicates a significant shift from a male-dominated field to one where women are increasingly prominent .
The report predicts that the decade from 2016 to 2026 “ may become known as the Decade of the Female Lawyer .”
The ABA ’ s 2024 Profile of the Legal Profession compiles statistics about lawyers , judges , and law students . It includes chapters on lawyer demographics , wages , judges , legal education , and women in the profession .
While men still outnumber women in the legal profession , the gap is closing each year . Women now constitute 41 % of all lawyers , up 5 % from 2014 .
The report notes , “ Each year , older , predominantly male lawyers are retiring while younger , predominantly female lawyers are entering the profession .”
If current trends continue , the U . S . will have an equal number of female attorneys as male attorneys within 20 years .
Despite recent progress , some areas still see slow advancement for women . For instance , women remain a minority among law firm partners .
In 2023 , only 28 % of all law firm partners were women , according to a National Association for Law Placement ( NALP ) survey . Some key statistics about women from the report :
• In 2016 , women became a majority of law school students .
• In 2020 , women became a majority of lawyers in the federal government .
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