According to an Enjuris report, women made up over 56% of students at American Bar Association-accredited U.S. law schools in 2023. Yet, according to the American Bar Association, 39% of U.S. attorneys in 2023 were female. Focusing into my area of practice, according to the American Association for Justice, 22% of its member attorneys in private practice are members of its Women Trial Lawyers Caucus, which is only open to female members in a private personal injury or criminal defense practice.

This is all to say that in 2024, the practice of law, particularly the practice of personal injury law, is still very much a man’s world. Though most attorneys I know in management roles at their firms—regardless of their gender—are trying to change this, the numbers are what the numbers are. Because of these numbers, it can be difficult for a female personal injury attorney to receive career advice from another woman who understands what it is like to be a woman practicing personal injury law today. The challenges for female personal injury attorneys differ from our male counterparts’ challenges, and unfortunately, our successes are often viewed differently than those obtained by our male counterparts.