by Women's Law Caucus

Female Discrimination in the Legal Field

​DISCLAIMER: For this post and the research it is accompanied by, when I refer to ‘women’ I am referring to cisgender females. This is not to discredit the fact that transgender people and people who identify as male can also produce children. With that being said, I would like to acknowledge that this post will be primarily focused on the experiences of cisgender women, but I do not discredit the added difficulties that face male, transgender, LGBTQIA+, persons of color, immigrant, and disabled individuals.

​Despite being advocates for justice and equality, female lawyers continue to struggle with fairness in the workplace. Today, 38% of lawyers are female, yet we continue to fight for our space within the working system. (Nassar, 2021). Compared to their male colleagues, female lawyers are more likely to “be interrupted, mistaken for non-lawyers, do more office housework, and have less access to prime job assignments.” (Elsesser, 2018). This number increases for female attorneys of color and those that identify within the LGBTQ community. (Elsesser, 2018). Even the highest respected women within the legal field face gender discrimination. 66% of all interruptions on the court are directed towards the three women who sit on the Supreme Court of the United States (Ginsburg, Sotomayor, and Kagan). (Elsesser, 2018). This statistic implores us to ask; if they cannot gain the respect and equality from others within the legal field that they are entitled to, how are we? While there are disagreements within the legal communityfor the difference in treatment between genders within the profession, undoubtedly, they continue to exist.

Like all women, attorneys struggle to earn equal pay. A study revealed that for law firm partners, men earn 44% more than women firm partners. (Elsesser, 2018). Even highly successful female attorneys fail to yield relatively equal pay. A study found that “the top 10 percent of female lawyers earn more than $300,000 a year, while the top 10 percent of male lawyers earn more than $500,000”. (Nassar, 2021). This equates to sixty cents on the dollar, lower than the average pay disparity for all working women. 

The inequality of pay affects women of color more drastically than their white counterparts. Women of color continue to earn between $0.16 and $0.24 less than their white female colleagues. (Hardy, 2021). While the gender pay gap is an issue, it affects women of color the most and is an issue that continues to fail to be corrected. Women of color are also one of the least represented within the legal field. According to research, “2.8 percent of equity partners in Big Law were women of color, compared to 20.6 percent of all women (a 4.6 percent increase since 2007).” (Hardy, 2021). Sadly, women of color face both gender and racial discrimination within their workplace. This aids in the ongoing problem of lack of representation and platforms to address the obstacles they face.

Sexual harassment plays a large role in gender discrimination at the workplace for female attorneys. Almost two-thirds of women suffered from sexual harassment while working at a law firm. (Stanley, 2017). However, only a small percentage, 18%, of women reported their experiences. (Stanley, 2017). The women in the survey stated the main reason for their silence was due to the law firm partners making up a large portion of the problem. Almost 60% of the sexual harassment experiences, in both verbal and physical forms, originated from firm partners. (Stanley, 2017). While both males and females have addressed the problem, the genders disagreeon how serious law firms consider the problem. While 90% of males find their law firms take sexual harassment very seriously, only 65% of females agreed. (Stanley, 2017). One-fourth of female attorneys felt their firms could do more to discourage sexual harassment, while only 6% of male attorneys agreed. (Stanley, 2017).

The good news is these trends of pay disparities, differing job duties, sexual harassment experiences, and other gender discriminations within the workplace have decreased with time. This illustrates that while an ongoing problem, the more awareness and recognition of these issues within the legal field, the more likely they are to be addressed appropriately.

For tips on how to battle these challenges, visit Female Lawyers FaceWidespread Gender Bias

or Female Lawyer Discrimination Challenged in the Courtroom

By: Quinn Motichka

Resources

Elsesser, Kim. “Female Lawyers Face Widespread Gender Bias, According to New Study.” Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 5 Oct. 2018, https://www.forbes.com/sites/kimelsesser/2018/10/01/female-lawyers-face-widespread-gender-bias-according-to-new-study/?sh=37d48d334b55. 

“Female Lawyer Discrimination Challenged in the Courtroom.” Employment Lawyers | Manes & Narahari, 8 Feb. 2018, https://lawkm.com/female-lawyer-discrimination-challenged-in-thecourtroom/#:~:text=In%20a%20bar%20survey%20of%20more%20than%20400,female%20attorneys%20on%20the%20subject%20of%20gender%20discrimination. 

Hardy, By: Kristen. “Don’t Forget About Women Lawyers of Color.” Marquette University Law School Faculty Blog, 12 Sept. 2021, https://law.marquette.edu/facultyblog/2020/02/dont-forget-about-women-lawyers-of-color/. 

Nasser, Haya El. “Number of Women Lawyers At Record High But Men Still Highest Earners.” Census.gov, 8 Oct. 2021, https://www.census.gov/library/stories/2018/05/women-lawyers.html.

Stanley, Georgina. “Two-Thirds of Female Lawyers Have Experienced Sexual Harassment at Work, Research Finds.” Law.com International, 13 Oct. 2017, https://www.law.com/international-edition/2017/10/13/nearly-two-thirds-of-female-lawyers-have-experienced-sexual-harassment-at-work-research-finds/?slreturn=20220212181130. 

by Women's Law Caucus

WLC Board Member Introductions

Here are some short biographies about your WLC board members. I thought this would be a good way for WLC member, as well as the whole ABIII community to get to know the WLC leaders. My fellow board members were much too modest when I asked them to tell me about themselves and so I added some other facts about them that I thought everyone should know. I am honored to work with such amazing women and WLC is lucky to have such a passionate and accomplished board. If you see nay of them around ABII please thank them for all their hard work. 

Sarah Brennan- President

Year in law school: 2L 

Area(s) of interest: Criminal Law, Agricultural Law, and Equine Law.

Favorite activity(s) Outside of Law School: Horseback riding and hiking with her dog, Presley. 

Fun fact(s): Sarah’s favorite color is purple, and she loves reading (fun books, not law books).

What Kali thinks you should know: Sarah is also the President of the Rural Advocacy League and took the initiative to restart this group at the law school this year. Sarah is also very funny, kind, and easy to talk to. 


Courtney Harrold- Vice President

Year in law school: 2L

Area(s) of interest: Criminal Law

Favorite activity(s) outside of law school: Courtney loves to go to spin class at HypeHouse here in Missoula, spend quality time with her amazing friends, and travel back to Arizona and California to visit her family.

Fun fact(s): Courtney has dimples that are right underneath her eyes and she has never met another person with dimples in the same spot as her. 

What Kali thinks you should know: Courtney is my go-to for anything related to criminal law. She has great experience in prosecutors’ offices and is more passionate about this area than anyone else I know. Courtney is also on the Student Bar Association board and is my go-to with any questions or concerns within the law school as she truly cares about the students’ experience at ABIII.

Jessica Koch- Secretary

Year in law school: 2L, Jessica is also in her first year of the Master of Public Administration Program. 

Area(s) of interest: Jessica is interested in working in the domestic violence field, hopefully doing work with policy and/or in the non-profit sector. 

Favorite activity(s) outside of law school: Spend time with friend and family as well as ski, attend concerts and comic con, read, kayak, travel, and float the river. 

Fun fact(s): Jessica graduated from the University of Utah in 2017 with her Bachelor’s of Science in Sociology. She then went to work full-time as a Shelter Advocate for a non-profit domestic violence organization for three years prior to attending law school. She has a six-year-old tabby cat name Minerva (a.k.a. “Minnie”), after Professor McGonagall from Harry Potter. Jessica loves Diet Coke, nerds’ candy, and huckleberry ice cream. 

What Kali thinks you should know: Jess is very passionate about creating policy change and does the hard work to create that change. She is not only knowledgeable in the area of domestic violence but is always happy to educate and is always working to create safe spaces for others. 

Emily Dardis- Treasurer 

Year in law school: 2L

Area(s) of interest: Civil Insurance Defense Law 

Favorite activity(s) outside of law school: Emily loves to craft and snowmobile.

Fun fact(s): Emily is allergic to celery. 

What Kali thinks you should know: Emily is also an educator; she holds a teaching license in the State of Montana. Emily graduated with honors from Montana State University and is an extremely hard worker. She is the most loyal friend and easiest person to talk to. Emily is always happy to talk through issues and concerns with anyone and is a great problem solver and always open to ideas.  

Molly Davis- 3L Representative  

Year in school: 3L 

Area(s) of interest: Molly is interested in a lot of different areas of the law and is still somewhat undecided.

Favorite activity(s) outside of law school: Anything outdoors with her family! They love to hike, camp, and raft! Molly also loves to cook.

Fun fact(s): After graduating from the University of Florida, I loaded up my Subaru and headed west with plans of moving to Portland, Oregon (even though I had never been there and didn’t have a job or housing lined up). However, I stopped in Missoula and loved it so much I stayed. I have been here for 10 years and it’s one of the best decisions I have ever made.

What Kali thinks you should know: Molly was the President of WLC last year and let the group during a very weird time during the pandemic. Molly did a great job and continues to serve this group and ABIII in a positive way. 


Athena Waschke- 3L Blog Representative 

Year in law school: 3L

Area(s) of interest: Family law and bankruptcy.

Fun fact(s): Athena is a mom to 19-year-old twin boys and she collects nail polish.

What Kali thinks you should know: Athena is the most friendly face in the law school. She is so easy to talk to and connect with. Athena has great advice for 1L’s and 2L’s and is always willing to share and have conversations about anything on your mind. 


Kali Taylor- 2L Blog Representative

Year in law school: 2L

Area(s) of interest: Education Law and Elder Law

Favorite activity(s) outside of law school: Anything related to true crime- podcasts, documentaries, movies, etc. 

Fun fact(s): Kali is a “Bachelor”/“Bachelorette” super fan and has a small brown dog named Elvis.


Amanda Spear- 1L Representative 

Year in law school: 1L

Area(s) of interest: Amanda is still open to exploring multiple interest areas.

Favorite activity(s) outside of law school: Amanda likes to ski, spend time with her friends, and listen to murder podcasts.

Fun fact(s): Amanda’s favorite NFL team is the Packers. 

What Kali thinks you should know: Amanda is an engineer and prior to law school was the only female on an all male work crew. Amanda’s very smart and kind, she always brings something positive to every conversation and is so easy to spend time with. Her family members are all Packers and Griz super fans (even though Amanda went to Montana State University).

Quinn Motichka- 1L Blog Representative 

Year in law school: 1L

Area(s) of interest: Criminal law 

Favorite activity(s) outside of law school: Quinn loves to read a variety of books. 

Fun fact(s): Quinn loves listening to records.

What Kali thinks you should know: Quinn is always smiling and has a good attitude about school, which can be refreshing in the law school. Quinn is also passionate and never shies away from hard work. 

Author: Kali Taylor with information from all the board members 

by Women's Law Caucus

Networking in Law School

People are always saying that life comes down to “who you know,” and they are not wrong. Networking is very important, especially when trying to find an internship or future job. A study revealed that 85% of jobs were found through networking (The Importance of Networking in College – The Haven at College). Networking is a great way to meet new people and gain larger insight into the jobs you are seeking.

Be advised, networking events are not the places where you ask for a job from someone. You are simply attending the event to discuss interests and have questions answered. A job invitation may become available through later discussions by the person themselves, or through their connections. By allowing people within your field of interest to get to know you, they may be able to recommend other employers your way from recollecting your previous conversation.

A great way to network during school is by attending law school events. For example, the “Friday at 5” event is making its way back this school year. This off campus event is hosted by different clubs on campus and allows students to get numerous opportunities to meet people every week. Another great example on campus is the mentorship program the Women’s Law Caucus runs. This program pairs 1L’s with upperclassmen and attorneys within the Missoula area. Students get close access to mentors that can be great resources throughout their law career.

A great way to network online is through LinkedIn. Make sure your profile is professional and updated. People you meet through networking events may use this profile as a preliminary evaluator before offering you a job.

Interviews:

Once a job offer is secured, you will most likely still go through an interview process. In an interview, employers are trying to find out about you to ensure that you’d be a good within the company. To excel at interviews, it is best to research the company and the interviewers before attending the interview. This way, you know how to better frame your answers to appeal to the company.

During an interview, ask questions. This is your opportunity to ensure that the job fits your needs. However, do not mention money until the second or third selection process. The initial meeting should be centered around your skills and what you as a candidate can bring to the table.

Another great resource the law school provides to students is the “Professional Closet” in the school. The closet contains lots of professional dress attire for men and women, including shoes. Students may keep whatever they like, the only ask is that they leave the hangers. Students may also donate clothes to the closet, just notify the Director of Career Development Katy Stack.

A great way to end an interview is to thank them for their time. A follow-up thank you in email or a hand written letter could be the difference between getting the job. Remember to be on time and dressed for success. To best prepare for an interview, use these prep questions posted on Networkx by the career development center at the law school.

by Women's Law Caucus

Time Management Tips

It seems like now that all the law school classes are on Zoom, time management has become more pressing than ever. Somehow, I still run out of time trying to get everything done. Here are some hints and tips for taking control of your time.  

  1. Set up a schedule. My alarm goes off every morning and I immediately hit snooze. But that is okay because I have snooze time blocked into my schedule. Almost every minute of every day is scheduled for me. I was not always like that. Pre-pandemic I would schedule classes and study time, but that was it. Once I started spending most of my time at home though I found I had a much more difficult time staying on task. I block out time for breakfast, washing dishes, talking to my family, and relaxing. I make every effort to stick to that schedule too. That means at 10:00 p.m. I put down the law books and pick up the novel I am reading.  
  1. Prioritize. When I have a hundred pages to read, a paper to edit, and an outline to work on, I must decide what is the most important to get done first. For this effort I set up lists of everything I have due each day of the week and what I am working on. At a quick glance I can see that my essay is due Monday, but I have not worked on my outline for two weeks, so that is the higher priority. The more organized I am, the more I can get done. I also prioritize sleep and self-care. Because I know that I am going to bed at a set time, I am better at keeping myself on task doing all that reading.  
  1. Focus. Perhaps the most difficult part of the Zoom School of Law is the constant distractions. I live in a small apartment and my partner is also working from home. Out of necessity my “office” is also my bedroom. However, my desk is for working- when I am sitting at the desk, I am focused. It is not a place for watching YouTube or checking Facebook. I keep my phone in a drawer. I try very hard to ignore my dog, who is usually content to sleep the day away. I try to keep my desk as clean and clutter free as possible. It is never going to be the library, but the more distractions I can eliminate the more I can focus on the task at hand.  
  1. Say no- sometimes to yourself. I love participating in events at ABIII. I like joining clubs, seeing people outside of the classroom (even on Zoom), and volunteering my time. But I have learned to say no. If I have too much work to do, I will not be at the club meetings and I limit myself to only one board position. It is more important to me that I get a good night’s sleep than participating in every event. I am also a bit of a control freak and like to do all the work. I must let go when working on group projects and let other members pick up the slack.  
  1. Self-care. Self-care is so important to keep stress at bay. I can easily work straight through the day and into the night. Because I have scheduled in time to walk my dog and read something for fun, I am far more likely to engage in self-care. I also set a bedtime so I can ensure I get enough sleep. It can be difficult to keep “real life” in perspective in law school, but eating right, exercising, and engaging with family and friends can all help remind us there is a world outside the law.  

by Women's Law Caucus

About ACB

ACB—The New Supreme Court Justice?

Naming a new Supreme Court Justice in the wake of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s death has been on the cover of most newspapers since the decision was announced. Opinions have flowed freely, dirt has been dug up, and bias leaks through the media. So, who is Amy Coney Barrett? Is she a threat to our freedoms or does she stand as a defender of stare decisis? Is she merely a pawn of the right willing to dismantle important decisions or is she somewhere more in the middle like the rest of us? Someone who loves the law and does her best to administer justice fairly and without bias?

Judge Barrett received an undergraduate degree in English literature before receiving full scholarship to the Notre Dame Law School where she graduated first in her class. After law school ACB clerked for Judge Laurence Silberman of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit and then for Justice Antonin Scalia of the U.S. Supreme Court. ACB has also spent time teaching at Notre Dame Law School among other visiting professorships at other law schools across the country. Her areas of focus include constitutional law, originalism, statutory interpretation, and stare decisis. Among her many accomplishments and busy schedule, she is also a mother of seven, two of whom are adopted from Haiti.

ACB was nominated to the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit in May 2017. During her time on the Seventh Circuit, Judge Barrett has ruled on many issues, everything from discrimination in the educational system to abortion-related issues to coronavirus measures. In Price v. Chicago, Judge Barrett joined in an opinion upholding a “bubble ordinance.” A “bubble ordinance” basically requires consent to approach within a certain distance of an abortion clinic or its patrons. In Illinois Republican Party v. Pritzker, ACB joined Judge Wood’s opinion in affirming the denial of the of the Illinois Republican Party’s request for preliminary injunction to block Gov. Pritzker’s corona virus orders. These are just a couple of the cases she ruled on and I encourage you to look at the other cases as well.

During her hearing with the Senate Judiciary Committee, ACB repeated that she is an originalist and a textualist. She stood by her convictions that she would follow precedent and that her personal beliefs had no room in the courtroom. In a consolidated nutshell this is a little bit about Judge Amy Coney Barrett. Of course, this might reflect how she rules and where she went to school, however, it’s important to note that there is much more to her than this. As the author of this, I encourage everyone who reads this to do a little bit of your own research. The cautionary tale is to watch out for bias. News outlets often spin stories to make catchy titles in order to traffic readers to their papers. There are valid arguments on both sides of the aisle, either for or against her confirmation, however, the truth usually lies somewhere in the middle.

*Note: In the interest of being non-biased and non-political, this is just general information about ACB taken off of Wikipedia to learn more you can visit this site which has great footnotes leading to other sources of information that aren’t just from CNN or FOX News or any other of the large media companies

by Women's Law Caucus

Law Student’s Relationship to Poverty

Your life experience around this topic matters.
If you are a law student, please take ~3 minutes to complete a brief, anonymous survey here.

 

We hope to use the information collected only to “pulse check” in an attempt to better understanding the ABIII law student experience.  

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs categorizes Basic Needs in two silos: 

  1. Safety Needs AND
  2. Physiological Needs. 

Examples of Safety Needs include security and safety. Examples of Physiological Needs include food, water, warmth, and rest (Simple Psychology).

“I think there is often an assumption in higher education that everyone who is sitting in class with you is able to meet all of their own basic needs, but in reality, there are [law] students who are struggling to get by,” (Pantry and clothing closet combat food and financial insecurity at Dickinson Law).

It is my experience that the well-researched, albeit rarely spoken about, the reality is that the poverty-level life of undergraduate college students is amplified in the law school experience. Students attending Alexander Blewett III School of Law (herein ABIII) face issues of not having a home, limited access to food (nutritional or otherwise), and financially sacrificing in a variety of ways such as inability to obtain the uniform, ie ‘professional’ clothing, essential to a successful law school experience.

FOOD INSECURITY

Food insecurity is, “the lack of reliable access to sufficient quantities of affordable, nutritious food.” Meal plans are not a part of ABIII’s law school experience. Although on-campus for well-over a 40-hour week for the better part of three or more years, the food-based resources available to law students are 

  • self-supplied mini-fridges your 2L and 3L year, 
  • a kitchenette (fridge, coffee-makers, and microwaves), 
  • (INSTITUTIONALLY REDUCED) lunchtime speaking events with food provided by the law school student groups, 
  • a (NEW!) Food Pantry, and 
  • a coffee shop, the SideBar.

2019-2020, pre COVID-19, saw two major changes to ABIII’s food insecurity. First, and in support of decreasing law student food insecurity, initiated by the efforts of a handful of students, on February 3, 2020, ABIII launched a law school-based Griz Food Pantry. Second, and likely increasing law student food insecurity, ABIII administration limited the lunches provided in tandem with student group speakers to one per week.

** Of note, food insecurity statistically is a burden worn disproportionately by women. “Women in the U.S. disproportionately experience hunger and poverty compared to American men.” (Ending Hunger is a Gender Equity Issue & Fact Sheet Gender and Food Insecurity: The Burden on Poor Women). As law schools become more gender-balanced, their issues of food insecurity will continue to become more and more apparent. 

Now, with the global pandemic of COVID-19, these issues of law student food insecurity have increased exponentially.   

HOMELESSNESS

Homelessness is, “Individual or family who lacks a fixed, regular, and adequate. nighttime residence, meaning: (i) Has a primary nighttime residence that is a public or. private place not meant for human habitation; (ii) Is living in a publicly or privately operated shelter.” (HUD).

Dorms are not a part of ABIII’s law school experience. Student Family Housing is available although as a resource is limited and ranges in cost from a one-room studio at a minimum of $433/month to a maximum of a 4-bedroom, 1,000 sqft flat at $1,080/month. All rates include cable TV, water, garbage, and sewer. Students are responsible for telephone service and the Internet (approximately $69.99/month). Off-campus, “according to a recent report from Apartment List, the median rent for a two-bedroom in Missoula is $930.” (KPAX). This rate likely does not include electricity costs or the costs of the internet.

Due to ABIII’s prohibition on gainful work for the three years of law school, law students much find financial stability to cover housing from a partner-income earner, taking out additional, heightened interest-rate (How Grad School Loans are Different from Undergrad Loans), graduate-level student loans, or be semi-nomadic and amenable to change. 

Now, with the global pandemic of COVID-19, these issues of law student homelessness have put law students in a more vulnerable position. Even for those with a home, Shelter-in-Place has dramatically impaired the quality of learning during the semester and left summer transitions (many of which entail moving outside of Missoula) in a lurch.

INCOME LIMITATIONS

ABIII’s Student Handbook reads, “Full-time students are expected to devote substantially all working hours to the student of law.  All students employed more than an average of l0 hours per week in any semester must report the details of such employment to the Associate Dean of Students.  Second- and third-year students who will be working over 10 hours per week must fill out an employment form when they register. No full-time student’s employment should exceed 20 hours per week.

This policy is based upon the premise that the objective of each law student is to secure the best legal education that our facilities and his or her faculties will permit.  Accordingly, everything the student does must be measured in terms of the primary purpose.  When conflicts arise, compromises must be made in favor of law study.  The law faculty is aware of the financial and family burdens that such a policy creates.  To ameliorate the situation, efforts are being made, and will continue, to augment the funds available for scholarships and loans.”

Although the American Bar Association’s Standard 304(f), which restricted student employment to 20 hours per week, was eliminated in 2014, ABIII has continued to retain a student employment rule even though it is no longer required by the Standards.

Now, with the global pandemic of COVID-19, law students’ pre-existing income limitations are emphasized as other household income earners lose their jobs and businesses are modifying their operating expenses likely impacting legal internship availability and hiring rates post-law school. 

In short, the increased earning potential pay-off having taken a massive three-year financial hit of attending law school is postponed (indefinitely).  

To end on a more positive note, here is what ABIII-adjacent groups and individuals are doing to address these issues. 

 

  • ABIII-Based Griz Food Pantry “We are going into debt. I recognize that out of state students pay even more. There are other barriers too. Sometimes we are too busy to grab food, let alone prepare it. Sometimes we run to school in a hurry to get to an early class and don’t take food with us, only to find ourselves here all day without eating. Sometimes we don’t have time to go grocery shopping. Other times we spend $1200 on books and we really don’t have more money to buy groceries. The thing is that we all need to eat, deserve to eat, and should be supported in eating.”

 

  • Professional Clothing Closet “The law school is a busy place! Spring semester—mock trials, oral arguments, AWR presentations, job interviews. All sorts of things that require you to put on professional clothing. You may be realizing that you 1) don’t have professional clothing; 2) your professional clothing no longer fits; or 3) your professional clothing could use some sprucing up. Because any of those problems can put a serious dent in an already stretched student budget, the library has a Professional Clothing Closet where you can “shop” for free.  The Professional Clothing Closet has a wide variety of women’s and men’s professional clothing (including shoes and purses!) in all sizes. You are welcome to keep what you find—it’s all free—just please leave the hangers.”

 

  • Pending Emergency Aid Fund Now, with the global pandemic of COVID-19, ABIII “alumni and other donors are attempting to set up an Emergency Aid Fund to provide small grants to students in dire need.”
Your life experience around this topic matters.
If you are a law student, please take ~3 minutes to complete a brief, anonymous survey here.

 

We hope to use the information collected only to “pulse check” in an attempt to better understanding the ABIII law student experience.  
by Women's Law Caucus

Loving and Living Through Law School: The Person We Become

When being a law student is secondary.

Law school changes and challenges students in some common ways but in even more individual ways. We all enter into this endeavor at different starting points which means that, in an effort to arrive at the same end-point, there is an intense amount of ratcheting, acceleration, and endurance to produce as standard of a product (to-be-lawyers) possible. We are pushed; we are pulled. The very reason(s) and motivation(s) we came to law school in pursuit of distortion may become the biggest source of compromise along the way.

Bearing that in mind, there are those who are faced with the unique dynamic of being a partner and parent while being a student. Maintaining personal health during law school is challenging enough. Doing that while concurrently being good stewards to our relationships with our partner(s) can, some days, feel impossible. On other days, extending care to another may be all we have within us.

PARTNER FIRST, LAW STUDENT SECOND

My experience of loving and living through law school has been unique to myself and my relationship with my life partner, but I think in many ways, it is a communal experience, too.

There is an ugly physical side of law school. It has been my experience that weight gain is typical. I gained ~20 lbs my first year and distinct from the infamous college freshman weight gains, my underlying habits (eating, exercising, etc) had not changed. The only change was law school. Unique stress concurrently occurring with a sharp personal decrease in self-worth allowed the pounds to latch on.

Furthermore, there is a startling hormonal aspect of law school. Here at ABIII, our class sizes are ~70 students in the first year. Your first year, you have every class every day together. Cycles, menstrual and mood, storm and sync. As a result, what I would call my ‘baseline’ or ‘standard’ hormonal engagement with my environment recalibrated beyond my understanding. I cried randomly. I found myself despondent. I was manic. Now, two years later, I may have stabilized my new-normal, maybe. I have learned a few things as I look at myself and my relationship with my partner.

From this physical and psychological experience, I have learned to hold onto and how to let go of information and control. From being a partner-first, law student second, I now know:

  • There is a distinction between someone who takes your time versus enhances your time. 
  • There is a difference between someone who exploits your intelligence as compared to investing in you.
  • There is a special balance found in someone who gives space to fail, consistently, all the while believing in your abilities, seeing the explosion of growth, through those failures.

I found my person. I am grateful I found my person. I know not everyone in law school has.

PARENT FIRST, LAW STUDENT SECOND

I started college when I realized that my daughter needed to grow up with an educated mama. I remember thinking, how can I make this place better without more knowledge. I realize that this knowledge can come from life experience, jobs, and relationships, but I had watched my parents struggle with a lack of resources. I didn’t want my little to experience that any more than she already had.

When I decided to go to law school and was accepted, someone that I love very much looked at me and said, “Can’t you just get a normal job now, and take care of your daughter. Give her a break.” At that point, I had been in school for over four years of my child’s life. This particular comment hit me like a punch in the gut. Was I wrong to be ‘giving up’ so much to go to graduate school? Neither of my parents obtained a college degree, let alone a graduate degree.

This was one of the first moments that I realized this team I have is my little and I. We both know that we have work to do in this world and we don’t need everyone to see that for it to be true. I went to law school despite most of the adults in my life telling me not to. In the end, all of this is for her. I understand that it might be difficult to see from the outside.  I want to help people. I want to show her what is possible. I want to help her in the future. This is the path I saw to get us where we needed to go.

Law school was different.  I have faced more judgment as a parent in this setting than I ever had before. Many people, especially those who have not raised a child have advice about how we should be raising ours. I have found that the advice does not come through clean. It is painful. I am ‘over-involved’ and give too much of myself to others. I know. I still wouldn’t change it. We do the very best we can as parents here. I know that my classmates do too. We come here with full hearts, and unconditional love for our children and through them, we gain an unconditional love for the world. There is a big chance that we would never feel this much without them.

As for all of my relationships, they are strained in fixable ways. I know that mother doesn’t call me because she sees my time as a valuable commodity, too precious to touch. It breaks my heart every time I realize this, and I advise her otherwise. My family feels a similar way and stays quiet. I miss them all. My baby is half grown now and sees the world through sharp eyes looking for injustice. Sometimes I feel like I have lost so many years, but with her, I feel like I have an eternity. Next year I will have a quiet office job and get to slow down. I know that I will look back and feel hopeful, for the many beautiful souls that took this trip when I did and for my sweet girl who always sees me for who I am.

We recognize that our experiences only capture two perspectives. We invite you to reach out via the comments or by emailing womenslawcaucusmt@gmail.com if you’d like us to add your story to the post. 

  • What ‘First’ roles do you fill? 
  • Have those impacted your development as a law student? How?

These are conversations largely left unspoken so let’s talk about it.

by Women's Law Caucus

Recap: J.D. Advantage Panel

 

Wondering if the traditional Juris Doctor (JD) career path is for you? The Women’s Law Caucus had the pleasure of hosting a panel of seven women who have earned their JDs (the JD Advantage) and are now practicing in non-JD career paths. Each panel members’ careers varied from directors of nonprofits to the director of choral activities at the University of Montana. One panelist was an assistant professor in the University of Montana’s social work program and another is a child advocate for the Confederated Salish & Kootenai Tribal Defender’s Office.  Some panelists spoke about realizing they did not want to become a traditional attorney halfway into law school  while others like Coreen Duffy, Director of Choral Activities, realized it while she was practicing law. One of the panelists, Heather O’Loughlin, who is now  the Co-Director of Research and Development at Montana Budget and Policy Center recalled she never wanted to be a lawyer but knew a JD would ultimately help her career path because it would open the door to more job opportunities. 

Many of the panelists agreed law school was challenging and difficult mentally and emotionally, but ultimately the panelists did not regret their decision to complete law school. Claire Charlo, now a child advocate for the Confederated Salish & Kootenai Tribal Defender’s Office, felt she could use what she learned in law school to pass on that opportunity and knowledge to those who could not go to law school. Finally, Coreen Duffy noted if you are struggling with your decision to come to law school, “you are never stuck where you are,” and having a JD can lead to many other career paths. 

by Women's Law Caucus

A Lesson Taught by Traffic: Relationship Between Self-Interest & Community

I have a regular mental debate on why there are some things I see in the world that others just don’t, and vice versa when I am sometimes completely blind to perspectives others know to exist. 

One such quandary regularly arises from the relationship between self-interest and selflessness. Disclosure, I am largely a self-interested individual (there is a lot to unpack behind that one). That said, I think my own self-interests promote rather than diminish my coexisting sense of selflessness. 

I was wondering at this unlikely pairing of internal motivators while driving home through Missoula construction one evening when a systemic epiphany brought some organization and clarity to my jumbled mind; self-interest can be promoted by acts of selflessness. 

Allow me to elaborate using a framework more concrete than ideologies; automotive commuting aka traffic.

Driving with other cars on the road is a practical application of small acts of selfless behavior, all of which in and of themselves are inconvenient, that totals to an end that is almost exclusively self-interested. From the moment a driver puts their key into the ignition, there is an intuitive awareness that extends beyond their entity, their property, and reaches into a public sphere. The driver has the self-interest to go from location A to location B without impeding their own safety. Fundamentally, I think that is all a starting point that can be agreed upon. Since there are hundreds of others on the same roads, with the same purpose, society has generated some basic rules of the road to allow the maximum number of drivers to achieve that goal each and every time they have to go from location A to location B. Every driver forfeits a small amount of self-determination accepting that following those rules of the road will serve a better outcome specifically for their own safety. At intersections, drivers stop their own progress to allow for others to go first in accordance with the rules everyone has agreed to. This process, although not perfect, is rather magnificent. While there may be a judgment in the cost, caliber, or status of an automobile, ALL cars stop in agreed-upon locations to allow for others to go first knowing that there are future intersections where other drivers will stop to allow you to continue on your journey. The destination of a person does not matter. 

Does this same cultural buy-in exist elsewhere? This is an example of a current deprivation for the hope that others will make a proportional sacrifice for you later. There is an concurrence that coordination with others is more beneficial than a competition to see who goes first. 

Imagine how beautiful our community could be if the rules we abide by on the road were applied to rules we follow as we engage with our fellow humans in all interactions.

What are your thoughts?

by Women's Law Caucus

Snapshot: Montana’s Early Women Lawyers: Trail-Blazing, Big Sky Sisters-In-Law

  • Did you know Montana’s first woman lawyer was admitted to practice in 1889?
  • Did you know there were clubs founded with the purpose of discouraging matrimony and idealizing spinsterhood, to “produce smiles instead of scowls when the words ‘old maid’ were spoken?”

Getting outside of our own heads can be helpful from time to time while living through this law school endeavor. A good place to get lost in is Professor Bari Burke’s Montana Women Lawyers blog. The headline of the blog tips readers off as to what they are about to engage with. “Montana’s Early Women Lawyers: Trail-Blazing, Big Sky Sisters-In-Law.” The blog is “dedicated to the stories of the women admitted to practice in Montana between 1889 and 1950.”  

As law students in this state, we are a voice in a much, much larger narrative. It is always good to reflect on the echoes we may hear.