In honor of Women’s History Month this March, Brooklyn Law School Associate Librarian Linda Holmes has displayed a number of books from the BLS Library collection in the first floor library display case on Women and the Law. Among the titles included are these: The Woman Advocate by Abbe Fletman and Evelyn Storch (Call #KF299.W6 W642 2010) with first-hand accounts by successful women lawyers of their experiences at all stages of career development. In the four parts of the book- Where We Are; How We Got There; What Our Environment Is Like; and Where We’re Going-the contributors provide reflections, advice, guidance, and, of course, war stories in lively, entertaining and insightful prose.
Women Attorneys Speak Out! How Practicing Law Is Different For Women Than For Men (and Tips on How to Handle The Biggest Frustrations) by Judi Craig (Call #KF299.W6 C73 2008) where a cross-section of women attorneys in a variety of practice areas share their experiences, frustrations, and advice with those considering or currently practicing law. They discuss how they perceive the present state of legal practice for female attorneys, provide their favorite tips for achieving a work-life balance, and discuss a variety of solutions to work-life balance issues.
Women at Law: Lessons Learned Along the Pathways to Success by Phyllis Horn Epstein (Call #KF299.W6 E67 2004) a guide whose author interviewed more than 100 women lawyers of all ages, backgrounds, and lifestyle in a wide variety of practice settings in the nation to find out how women lawyers define success.
Sisters-in-Law by Lisa Sherman, Jill Schecter and Deborah Turchiano (Call #KF299.W6 S54 2004) a humorous guide about the nuts and bolts of practicing law, finding a specialty that suits a woman lawyer’s talents and moving from one firm to another while addressing the varied demands of being single woman, facing motherhood and managing a family.
Gender on Trial: Sexual Stereotypes and Work/Life Balance in the Legal Workplace by Holly English (Call #KF299.W6 E54 2003) which examines gender stereotypes that continue to plague both women and men in the legal workplace in the form of male-only executive teams and management committees; sexist jokes; women resenting other ambitious women; men being unable to work reduced hours; and firms remaining hesitant to hire women fearing they might leave the firm to start a family.
Women’s History Month celebrates the achievements of American women. It began in 1981 with Congress’ passage of Pub. L. 97-28. The Law Library of Congress’ page for Women’s History Month has legislative history. March 8 marked the 100th anniversary of International Women’s Day which was first celebrated on March 19, 1911 in Austria, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland, where more than one million women and men attended rallies to demand for women the right to vote and to hold public office, women’s rights to work, to vocational training and to an end to discrimination on the job. See more at the UN International Women’s Day website.