April 25, 2006 8:38 AM

The sloooooow road to partnership for female attorneys
Posted by Diane Danielsonat 8:38 AM

The Boston Business Journal once again spotlights the slow track for female attorneys to become partners.

As female law school enrollments edge close to the 50 percent mark -- up from 20 percent in 1974 and 40 percent in 1985, according to the American Bar Association -- Boston's largest firms report female partnership percentages in the mid-teens to the 25 percent range. A number of firms are sufficiently worried about attrition in the ranks of up-and-coming females to change policies and add support systems in an effort to keep them on the partner track.

Firms are testing everything from business development training classes to retreats for female lawyers to policies that explicitly sanction partnership tracks for lawyers on a part-time and flex-time schedules. Such programs are working, but experts say the legal profession needs to do more to catch up to its accounting and consulting peers.

Interesting rehash of flextime and reduced hours debate, but no mention of the fact that if you bring in clients and are a real rainmaker, it doesn't matter how little you work. So, ladies, why not get out there and make it rain?