From 1L to 401(k): A Pilot Study of the Later Stages of Lawyers' Careers (GR 11-01)
by Nancy Reichman, University of Denver
Executive Summary
Although much has been written about the early stages of lawyers' careers and the
"path to partnership" (a path not well traveled by women in this field), there has been a
dearth of research into the maturing of lawyers' careers and the transition to retirement.
This research investigated whether gender differences observed in the career choices
and constraints of younger lawyers disappeared or persisted in later career stages, and
whether these differences affected decisions to wind down careers.
The core of the project involved re-interviewing a small number (46) of male and
female lawyers who completed an American Bar Foundation–conducted survey when
they were in law school in 1975. The interviews linked law school aspirations (obtained
in the 1975 survey) to career trajectories, including the end of legal careers, and
explored whether gender had an impact on career outcomes and, if so, how. The data,
collected during face-to-face interviews, consisted of life-history narratives, formal
resumes, and life-history calendars.
In addition to the qualitative data, a snapshot of the career outcomes of the original
survey respondents from three of the original seven law schools surveyed in 1975 (n =
599) was collected through Internet search engines. Career outcomes were analyzed in
terms of early career aspirations and law school type (elite, state, urban) and were
compared to the trajectories and aspirations of relatively young lawyers who
participated in the recent After the JD study.
Where are they now? A surprising number of those surveyed in 1975 continue to
practice law. Analysis of factors that might predict career outcomes 30 years after the
original survey revealed that gender was the most consistent factor affecting outcome.
Not surprisingly, perhaps, female lawyers were less likely to be found practicing law 30
years after law school. The analysis revealed significant differences by school type as
well as some differences accounted for by the social capital (i.e., parents' education and
elite undergraduate education) that individuals brought to their careers. Results were
consistent with the findings from the After the JD project.
Career trajectories. The interviews revealed particular, identifiable moments across
career trajectories where the lawyers encountered gender traps that had the potential
to change the face of their careers or kill their careers altogether. These moments were
having young children, a "20 year itch," the empty nest, and retirement. Lawyers
circumvented these gender traps in a number of ways. Although male and female
lawyers described different strategies, several themes emerged that explained their
connections and commitment to their work. These included family links and supports
(i.e., career decisions that supported families and vice versa); workplace solidarity,
including important connections to coworkers and to the practice; and more general
orientation to work that one could describe as "career culture."
The original proposal considered an examination of gender differences in retirement
strategies. Few of the lawyers who were interviewed, however, were old enough to
consider the prospect of retirement as more than an abstraction. Still, the conversation
about "next steps," including "slowing down," was a bit different for male and female
lawyers. The latter seemed more able to contemplate life beyond law.