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• Pages: 15-15

ILLUSTRATION BY BOB FERNANDEZ/SHUTTERSTOCK.COM; PHOTOGRAPH BY GRANT MILLER

have to show the next generation

the world of possibilities. Those of

us who have had challenges on the

way to working in the legal indus-

try must speak up about their ow n

experiences to inspire others.

I recently star ted a conversation

on Twitter to fi nd lawyers f rom

di erent backgr ounds to help

me in my liaison visits t o schools

in the future. I wa s sure my own

story wasn’t unique, but I received

thousands of responses from law-

yers across the world using the

hashtag I created, #my pathtolaw.

People have told me their par-

ents were heroin addicts, ha d

mental health problems, that they

worked all hours of the day and

night to put themselves through

higher education as a single parent

holding down several other jobs.

I wish I had been able to hea r

from people like this when I

was on my way to reaching the

legal profession—I would have

found their advice and pers ever-

ance inspiring. People have to

know their own situation is not a

one-o .

The tweets show it can be cha l-

lenging to come from a diverse

background and work in the legal

profession, but it is possible to suc-

ceed through hard work and t he

support of other s.

Twitter is a great medium to

start these sorts of conver sa-

tions. Since my tweet, pe ople

have started reg ularly using the

hashtag #mypathtomedici ne and

even #mypathtohr to continue the

conversation.

These truly inspirat ional stories

show that nobody should be put o

trying to ge t a job in the legal pro-

fession—those of us who have got-

ten here have to show it is possible

to do well whatever your child-

hood experience. We have to speak

up about our own journeys and

backgrounds to show that ever y

path is di erent. Q

Matthew Channon is a lecturer in

law at the University of Exeter and

researches the law of autonomous

vehicles.

Female lawyers in

legal departments ,

particula rly GCs, make less than

their male counter parts, at 78

percent of the average total c om-

pensation, accordi ng to a new

study from executive se arch fi rm

BarkerGil more. The study, based

on a random sample of nearly

2,000 in-house counsels in t he

United States, al so found gaps

in average total pay at ma naging

counsel and senior counsel le vels.

Women at these levels made 90

percent and 89 percent, resp ectively, of similarly situated male att or-

neys. Despite the dispa rity in total compensation, i n 2018 female in-

house counsels received a ba se pay increase equivalent to that of ma le

in-house coun sels—3.8 percent.

Source: law.c om (May 8).

Survey Says

A new regional analysis of law

fi rm geographic profi les an d growth

reveals bigger may not be better wh en

it comes to national and international

footprints. According to th e study, in

2009, international fi rms generated

three times what the average A m Law

fi rm did in revenue while national

fi rms generated 1.6 ti mes the

average. But by 2016, revenu e

for international fi rms dropped

to 2.6 times the averag e and

national fi rms to 1. 3. During

the same period, th e per-

centage of Am Law 200

fi r ms categorized as

international or national

increased from 19

to 30 percent of

l a w fi r m s .

Source: law.com

(April 17).

Leader of the Fee World

President Donald Trump’s re-election campaign sp ent more than

$1 out of every $5 on attorney fees this ye ar as he contends with the

ongoing special counsel invest igation, lawsuits and a legal challenge

from an adult fi l m actress. Of the $3.9 million his comm ittee spent

in the fi rst quar ter of 2018, more than $834,000 went to eight law

fi rms and the Trump Cor p. for legal fees, according to new Federal

Election Commission rec ords. The Trump campaign’s total spendi ng

on legal fees is nearly $4 mill ion since he took o ce, w ith Jones Day

receiving the large st share—about $348,000.

Source: washin gtonpost.com (Apr il 15).

Female Lawyers in

Legal Departments

Supreme First

Justice Neil M. Go rsuch has

hired a woman thought to be the fi rst

Native American law clerk at the U.S.

Supreme Court. Tobi Mer ritt Edwards

Young, originally from Midwest City,

Oklahoma, and a citi zen of the

Chickasaw Nation, starts her clerk-

ship with Gorsuch this mo nth,

at a time when the court h as

been criticized for a dear th

of diverse candidates .

She was general counsel

to the George W. Bush

Presidential Center and

is the fi rst female grad-

uate of the University

of Mississippi School

of Law to clerk for

the court.

Source: chickasaw

.net (April 13).

78%

Opening Statements

JULY 2018 ABA JOURNAL || 15

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