Blog 26

In chapter four English talks about male backing and the different ways that female partners would turn to their male partners for assistance. “Women sometimes find that they need male colleagues to step in to grapple with unruly opposing counsel, or endorse their advice to clients to get them on board. A female partner mentions how she can draft something and the clients won’t listen to her yet her male partner will draft the same thing and they listen to him. This goes to show that women not only have to fight for equality within the work place amongst their male coworkers but they also have to fight for equality amongst customers. Another attorney expressed how she would look to her mail coworker for validation when clients would show up and seek her male partner due to his reputation they would seem a little uneasy when met by a five foot tall female. The male coworker in this case however showed respect for his female coworker by having the first initial meeting with the clients being with both of them and then he would say a few things in regards to his female coworker regarding her background and qualifications to convince the clients of her ability to do the job. It is important for female lawyers to have the respect and equality from their male coworkers but that respect is not always given from the opposing male attorneys who then they see a female attorney as their opponent feel the need to bully and intimidate the female lawyer and like one of the examples given by English when the female experienced what was being done by the opposing male attorney and putting the best interests of the client first she sought assistance from a male coworker who stepped in and surprisingly the opposing attorneys attitude changed.