How Unappealing: An Empirical Analysis of the Gender Gap among Appellate Attorneys

Winston & Strawn Partner Linda Coberly—chair of the firm’s Appellate & Critical Motions Practice—was recently quoted in an analysis titled “How Unappealing: An Empirical Analysis of the Gender Gap among Appellate Attorneys.” Research for this publication was sponsored by the American Bar Association’s Commission on Women in the Profession.

As explained in the piece, while men and women enter the legal profession in equal numbers, research has documented a gender gap among attorneys who appear in trial courts and at the Supreme Court. The ABA’s analysis seeks to answer two questions: first, to what extent is there a gender disparity among those who argue before federal appellate courts?; second, how has that disparity changed over time?

Linda discussed best practices for improving retention numbers among women attorneys, specifically the efficacy of promoting them to leadership roles. As the piece points out, having a leadership position and title can be crucial to gaining further in-court experience that would otherwise be inaccessible. Titles “matter for credibility to clients,” explained Linda, and can help convince clients that an attorney is best suited to argue their case.

Click here to read the full analysis.

Click here to learn more about Linda’s work advocating for women in her role as chair of the ERA Coalition’s Legal Taskforce.