More opportunities for women lawyers now?

• Position: Dicta - Brief article

As law firms continue to be battered by the economy, just about every expense is on the table. So, it may be natural to assume that programs such as hiring, training and retaining women lawyers would be facing the ax.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

But that shouldn't necessarily be the case, according to Patricia K. Gillette, a labor and employment partner at Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe and founder of The Opt In Project. Writing for the "Am Law Daily" in an article called "Cracks in the Ceiling," Gillette urges firms to take this opportunity to step away from the very salary and bonus structures and billable hours that have destroyed flexibility in the law firm model.

"Now is the time to take advantage of the immobility of partners and associates and the weakening bargaining position of law students, to make changes that may not be popular with everyone, but are long overdue," she wrote." And these changes, in the long run, will benefit women and will answer the cries of all Gen Y lawyers for a kinder and gentler law firm life."

She outlines...