Nancy Maxwell Speaks About Women in the Legal Profession
Professor Nancy Maxwell spoke to the Women's Legal Forum on Friday, November 16, 2001 at Washburn University School of Law. Her presentation was titled "You've Come A Long Way, Baby": The Progress of Women in the Legal Profession Over the Last Twenty-Five Years (If This is Progress, Why Am I Still Being Called "Baby"?).
Professor Maxwell cited numerous statistics to show the progress of women in the legal profession. The first woman was admitted to a law school in 1869. However, women did not really seek to enter law school in large numbers until the 1950's. In 1972, the last ABA accredited law school finally began accepting women. Fifty percent of students enrolling at Washburn Law School in the year 2000 were women.
Maxwell observed women are more likely to see and be aware of discrimination than men. Female minorities are worse off than non-minorities in the courtroom and hiring processes, in large part because of their skin color.
Sexual harassment still exists today in the law offices and courtrooms across the United States. Over the last three years, 1 in 6 women reported incidents of sexual harrassment.
Following her talk, Professor Maxwell answered questions from the audience.
Nancy Maxwell speaking to the Women's Legal Forum
Sarah Dubois contributed to this article.
