The myth of feminisation: Women and cultural change in the legal profession

Professionalism and exclusionary practices: shifting the terrain of privilege and professional monopoly

“…The current gender based segregation and its potential for further fragmenting the profession has been noted by scholars (Halpern, 1994;Sommerlad, 1994Sommerlad, , 1995. The influx of new groups (women and cultural and ethnic minorities) which fail to conform to the professional norm (of white, middle-class male) may find themselves accommodated through the use of paralegals (Sommerlad, 1995) or in marginal, less remunerative sectors of law practice, including legal aid work (Sommerlad, 1994). Yet the politics of legal aid reform and access to justice by the poor are undoubtedly dear to Abel's programme of research.…”

‘I just drifted into it’: constraints faced by publicly funded family lawyers

“…According to Sommerlad (1994Sommerlad ( , 2002, the normative construction of what it means to be a professional lawyer is highly masculinised. Sommerlad (1994, p. 37) argues that lawyers are rewarded for displaying stereotypical masculine characteristics such as 'assertiveness, rationality, neutrality, objectivity, logic and strength', whereas lawyers who display stereotypical feminine characteristics such as caring, intuition and concern are seen to be deficient.…”

“…She describes law school culture as being adversarial, competitive and highly stressful, with law students being rewarded for spending long hours studying for end of year exams, which make up the bulk of assessment. Sommerlad (1994) asks why such long working hours are seen to be crucial in order to be a successful lawyer, and perhaps this is a question that should be taken seriously by both the Law Society and law schools. Rhode (2003, p. 16) has argued for structural reforms within the law profession, including better provisions for more flexible work practices including provision for part-time work, or working from home, and adequate recognition of family and personal needs: we would like to add our support for these reforms.…”

“…If publicly funded family lawyers are not to suffer from burnout, then adequate public funding needs to be provided to these firms, and policy makers should pay attention to the impact of reforms that are demanding that high street lawyers attempt to achieve more with less resources. Sommerlad (1994) argues that the masculinist legal culture needs to be challenged and, central to this, the long working hours required by the 'heroic' legal practitioner need to be addressed. Arguably, lawyers are first exposed to this culture in law school.…”

From a Professional Tribe to a Business Neo-Tribe: Towards a Theory of Consumer-based Lifestyles in the Legal Profession

“…2 Acker (1990). 3 Skordaki (1996), Sommerlad (1994), McGlynn (1998a, Sommerlad (2002). 4 Sommerlad, Duff and Tomlinson (2010).…”