Female Lawyers in the 20th Century

Female Lawyers in the 20th Century

As early as the American Civil War, women fought to enter the legal profession. Since then, they have repeatedly proven themselves competent, and yet many have felt the pressure of opposition from their male counterparts. Even today, discrimination still exists, not from outside the profession, but from within. The reader will confront the history of female attorneys, what obstacles stand in their way, what advances are being made with regards to equality, and where the profession stands today. In addition, the reader will confront interviews with actual women lawyers from New York City, and case studies from across the United States. These women each have unique backgrounds. They work in large law firms, in solo practices, and for the City of New York. For contrast, also included is an interview with a female attorney from Oneonta, New York. Oneonta is a small city in Upstate New York with a population of approximately 14,000. Through the use of these interviews and case studies, the reader will get a first-hand accounting of what it means to be a female attorney today.

History of Women in the Legal Profession

The late 19th century saw the rise of the first female lawyers. The Civil War, as all subsequent wars, had an important affect on women. Women were brought out of the home in order to take over the roles of the men who were away at war. Some women did not wish to return to the domestic life they had left behind and sought their way into the professional world. The first female attorneys were married women, and most came from the Midwest. As there were no law schools at the time, women seeking to enter the legal profession were taught by their lawyer husbands. In 1869 Arabelle A. Manfield became the first woman to be granted a law license. However, not all women would be so fortunate. In 1870, Myra Bradwell passed the Illinois state legal examination. Unfortunately, the state of Illinois “refused to issue her a license on the grounds that law was a wholly unsuitable profession for any wife and mother.”[1] Unhappy with the decision, Bradwell appealed to the United States Supreme Court.