FloridaBarNews.TV - Update #91: Why are women leaving the law?

This week, FloridaBarNews.TV highlights a question on many''s minds: In an age when women are graduating from law school at the same rate as men, why are they leaving the profession in such high numbers by age 50 and what can be done about it? These are questions Miami’s Hilarie Bass studied during her term as ABA president, whose ABA presidential term concluded in August. Bass launched an initiative, Achieving Long-Term Careers for Women in Law, and said while women start out in the profession on par with men, they decline to 26 to 27 percent by age 50. Florida Bar President Michelle Suskauer said the ABA study is troubling because it shows women are abandoning the law when they should be at the height, or approaching the height, of their careers. “If women continue to leave the profession in the numbers we’re seeing, we’re never going to break that 20 percent mark of being equity partners,” Suskauer said.