My journey in law began as a single mother in 1972. I still recall the day I drove our old Chevy with all our belongings on our way to Chase Law School. As I was the sole support for my child, night law school was my only option while I worked as a waitress. We survived on my tips, food stamps, and scholarships for my tuition.
As I walked through the doors of law school I was entering a profession where women comprised less than five percent of practicing attorneys. There were only three women in my class out of two hundred male students. Attending class was always a challenge. One professor made comments that “females were not cut out for law as too emotional.” I filed a complaint with the Dean concerned that my grades would be affected due to the discrimination I was experiencing against female law students.
Early Years in Practice
I still recall the day I passed the bar exam becoming a licensed attorney. The thrill of that moment will be with me forever. I had no qualms at the time that a law firm would hire me so when I knocked on doors of the major law firms in Bowling Green I was surprised at the reception. I began to realize that women lawyers were not acceptable candidates to practice as attorneys and was even told to go home and raise my child. I enlisted my mother who was a real estate broker to offer her business but this was to no avail. An old friend, Kelly Thompson, had just begun his practice with few clients in a small office. He took me in and I began practicing law in his kitchen making ends meet by teaching at night at the Bowling Green Business College. These were trying times being away from my daughter for over twelve hours a day.
One day a young woman, Marla Pitchford, came to me for representation when other attorneys had turned her away with no money to hire a lawyer. In time this case became a major news event throughout the country and the world. My career was launched with national notoriety when I obtained an acquittal. This case resulted in my appointment as Public Advocate by Judge David Francis. For several years I represented indigent clients as the first female attorney in Bowling Green to try a case before a jury. This included death penalty cases and close to fifty jury trials giving me invaluable litigation experience that I have used throughout my career.
However, my experience with judges came with mixed results. One of my first court appearances was before a judge who brought me into his chambers and told me “I do not allow blacks or women to practice law in my court.” I remember trembling as this was one of the first experiences in court as a young lawyer in a nearby rural county. I feared reprisal with complaints against me with the Bar Association. Indeed, this has been a tool often used throughout my career with other attorneys filing frivolous complaints against me. Eventually my career path evolved into personal injury law representing the injured.
Breaking the Glass Ceiling in Law
In the legal profession for the past fifty years I have witnessed women joining the ranks as attorneys practicing law. Today law schools are filled with students of all gender.
However, the road blocks have not completely crumbled. I still remain on the front lines fighting for female equality. The majority of law firms are headed by male partners with a token female attorney. Women are often not accepted as an equal in personal injury law and commercial litigation. My most memorable experience was when I arrived for a deposition in a personal injury case and the receptionist at the front desk buzzed the defense attorney in the office to let him know that “Double Trouble” had arrived for the deposition. Other names have surfaced over the years such as “Iron Pants.” Recently I received an email from a government attorney in a commercial case who stated that I was being “aggressive and coy” when fighting for the rights of my client.
Representing clients injured by commercial trucks and complex personal injury cases remains a male dominated field. This year I attended a trial seminar with few women where the speaker explained how to dress for trial instructing us to “wear a coat tie!” Amused, I approached the speaker asking if I should also wear a tie?
Advantages of Female Attorneys Representing the Injured
Clients often prefer a woman to represent them particularly when it involves a catastrophic loss of a family member and injured children. Even in minor cases clients are comfortable talking with a female attorney who can empathize and understand their emotions.
My background working my way through law school as a single mother on government assistance has given me an understanding of the struggle inherent by many of my clients who come from backgrounds of poverty. The ability to empathize with my injured clients has been the cornerstone to the success of my practice.
Conclusion
While tremendous gains for women in law have been made over the past fifty years of my practice much remains to be done. It remains a profession dominated by male owners and partners in the business. Indeed, I am one of the few female owned personal injury law firms in south central Kentucky limited to personal injury law. Discrimination is still prevalent in the legal field, particularly in the high end personal injury practice to include commercial litigation. Challenging this glass ceiling for gender equality continues to be my passion for women in our profession.
