National Association of Women Lawyers Releases Survey

The National Association of Women Lawyers (NAWL) is the leading national voluntary organization devoted to the interests of women lawyers and women's rights. On October 25, 2006, NAWL held a national press conference in New York to release the findings from the NAWL 2006 National Survey on Retention and Promotion of Women in Law Firms.

Briefly, the Survey found that while women lawyers are well-represented at the entry level of the profession, constituting 45% of associates, they make up only 16% of equity partners, 28% of of-counsel lawyers, and 26% of non-equity partners. The Survey also found that women play a less extensive role in the governance of law firms than male attorneys, with only 16% of governance committee members and 5% of managing partners being women.

See a more detailed summary of the Survey results here (PDF).

See the full press release concerning the Survey issued by the NAWL here (PDF).

The NAWL has called on law firms to double the number of women equity partners and for corporations to double the number of women chief legal officers by 2015.