Last month, deans, students, and community members gathered at the Omni Hotel to watch longtime SW Prof. Karen Smith’s induction into the John M. Langston Bar Association’s Hall of Fame.
Smith was recognized for her decades of scholarship and service to the legal profession.
Election Day is a week away, but I voted earlier this afternoon. Placing an envelope in the mail doesn’t feel the same as going to the polls to vote, but next Tuesday’s schedule—teaching for a couple hours, then running for an hour in the faculty exercise-a-thon, then teaching for a couple more hours—will barely allow me to breathe, let alone visit the old folks’ home in Hollywood where I usually cast a ballot.
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The Women’s Law Association held its annual Meet Your Professors event on Sept. 17, featuring a panel of female SW professors. The professors related unique stories and experiences about their legal careers, from attending law school to becoming professors, and balancing work and family life.
Prof. Judy Sloan described how she was one of only three women in her law school class. Her criminal law professor purposefully called on a woman when discussing a rape case “The case involved an old man accused of rape who was impotent. In other words, he couldn’t have raped anyone,” said Sloan.
“My husband was a urology resident at Johns Hopkins Hospital [then] and … he coached me on the details of male impotence. Sure enough, I was called on. I used this as an opportunity to lecture everyone on male impotence, to the point that even the professor had to blush! It was my way of dealing with the difficulty of being a woman in a male atmosphere. It was also my way of saying: ‘Don’t mess with me!’”
When Sloan began teaching, she was the only woman teaching classes on the faculty. “The first class I taught, when two men in the back saw that I was a woman teacher, they slammed their books shut and walked out the door. So what did I do the next class? I called on them. I didn’t know a whole lot, but I was further ahead in the book than they were, and that was enough.”
Prof. Catherine Carpenter began law school in 1973, and there were about 10 women in her class of 300. She was a part of the first Women’s Law Association at SW. “We wanted to get together; we <em>needed</em> to get together to talk about the things that were happening to us,” said Carpenter about starting the Women’s Law Association.
Carpenter spoke about the importance of the growing number of women in the legal field. “Since women are going to be such an important part of the legal workforce, we have the opportunity to frame the conversation in terms of how and to what extent we want to shape or change our professional environment - what is important to us and what sort of demands we want to make,” said Carpenter. “Women only have that ability because of the critical mass in the workforce, and consequently women have a little more power than the previous generation had.”
Prof. Karen Smith recounted a story from her days as a young attorney. She was discussing a case with a man who looked at her very strangely. When she asked him why he was looking at her in this way he responded, “I’ve never seen a woman speak intelligently before. The only women in my life are my wife and secretary.”
“You sit here today as a representative of women, because there will be people even in this day who will remember having a class with you and meeting you,” Smith said. “And this will break down the barriers in people’s mind of what women can do.”
Prof. Nyree Gray shared her experiences as a young attorney in the courtroom. “I would show up to court at 8:30 and somehow hit the trifecta - I was the only woman, the only black, and the youngest person in the room,” said Gray. “How did I get so lucky?”
“The good thing about Southwestern is that there are so many women here. We’re all here, together, pulling for each other to do well,” she said. She advised students that once they become successful attorneys, “don’t forget to look back and share what you have experienced and learned with another woman.”
Prof.Sung Hui Kim worked as a corporate lawyer before teaching at SW and described it as a very competitive environment for women. She told a story about a pregnant attorney who was advised by her doctor that for health reasons, she could not work more than 40 hours per week. When she informed the firm of this, a female partner said to her, “I worked more than 40 hours a week when I was pregnant. I don’t see why you can’t.”
“The workplace has not really caught up to our notions of equity,” said Kim.
Prof. Karin Graver recounted an incident from her early years as an associate in a large firm. One of the partners, who had just become a grandfather, got on an elevator with her, and asked, “Do you have a kiss on the cheek for the new grandfather?”
“I was surprised that this kind of thing still happens, although I don’t think it happens as much as it used to,” said Graver. “Some more senior attorneys may not recognize when they’re being sexist.”
Prof. Isabelle Gunning, who attended Yale University, said, “I went to a college where there weren’t any women in undergrad, let alone law school.” She stressed the importance of women coming together and sharing their experiences. “Come and talk to us, because that’s what will empower you,” said Gunning. “An association like this is so wonderful because it allows you to learn who you are.”
To find out more about the WLA, please contact: swwomenslaw@gmail.com
Written by Stephanie Herrick, 1L
