Law often has been described as an old boys’ club. While many firms and companies have committed themselves to achieving gender diversity, it’s fair to ask whether the old-boys’-club mentality still exists—especially when it comes to trial lawyers. Do women actually play important roles on cases? Or are they there as window dressing?
Legal analytics can study the gender of attorney appearances in court to see whether a firm actually has true gender diversity. Even if a firm technically has a large number of women, it might not be giving them significant roles within the firm, says Michael Sander, founder of New York City-based Docket Alarm, which uses technology to help attorneys track and predict court case outcomes. (Docket Alarm was acquired by Fastcase on Jan. 10, and Sander is now managing director of Docket Alarm and director of Fastcase Analytics.)
VISIBLE DIFFERENCE
Some firms, however, are bucking the trend. In 47 percent of patent cases, a female attorney was present for McCarter & English, according to Docket Alarm.
“We don’t go out to look specifically for women, but we probably attract women to the firm because they see that we have women in positions of leadership and authority,” says Betty Hanley, head of McCarter & English’s intellectual property practice group and a member of its executive and compensation committees. “Women apply because they know this about us.”
Click to read the full article: Legal Analytics Track Gender Diversity at Law Firms