Gender and Global Lawyering: Where are the Women?

The dual forces of globalization and support for diversity in the legal profession are responsible for significant growth among U.S. law firms. Both women lawyers and those educated outside of the U.S. have been important elements facilitating the global trajectories of U.S. firms, but the interaction between the two has not been the subject of substantial research. We address this gap by drawing on an original dataset of lawyer biographies, and consider whether career strategies that involve the international mobility of lawyers are equally powerful for women and men. Our research suggests that globalization of large firm practice has not erased gender inequality, and, in fact, may have reinforced and strengthened existing gender disparities. Women in Legal Practice: Global and Local Perspectives, Symposium, June 5-8, 2012. Annual Meeting of the Law and Society Association