Remarkable women throughout history continue to defy societal norms, shatter barriers, and pave the way for future generations. Arabella Mansfield and Charlotte Ray, historically two of the first female attorneys in the US—left an indelible mark on the legal profession.
Mansfield had the support of her husband and brother when she took the bar exam in 1869. And Ray’s father, a renowned abolitionist and newspaper editor, was instrumental in her education. Mansfield and Ray might have persevered without support from men in their lives, but there’s no doubt that encouragement played an important role in their success.
Although Iowa state law restricted the bar exam to white men only, Mansfield sat for the exam and earned high scores. Following a court challenge, the Iowa Supreme Court ruled in her favor, and she became the first female attorney in the US. Iowa then became the first state to allow women and people of color to be admitted to the bar.
But passing the bar was just the first obstacle. Mansfield never practiced law, and instead became an educator and college administrator.
Three years after Mansfield passed the bar exam, Ray became the first Black female attorney and the first woman to open her own practice in the US. As the first woman admitted by the District of Columbia Bar and to argue before the Supreme Court of the District of Columbia, Ray was an inspiration for other women around the country who sought to challenge their own states’ bars and follow her into practice.
Ray was a solo practitioner for only a few years, reportedly unable to find clients, although a contemporary called her “one of the best lawyers on corporations in the country.” She eventually took a teaching position.
Female attorneys today may feel the echo of these challenges in their own careers. Women continue to be directed toward less lucrative practices, affecting compensation, their ability to make partner, and a path to firm leadership. This is the biggest contributor to the wage gap in the legal profession.
Advocacy, activism, and allyship—especially from men—are vital to shaping an inclusive, progressive, and ultimately equitable profession. Among firm leadership, men are still largely making the policies, deciding compensation, and determining advancement. They now have an opportunity to shift the status quo toward inclusion.
Firms can help create gender parity by including women in client succession planning. They should also examine how female associates are allocated to practice areas at the beginning of their careers, and create a pipeline for women onto the leadership track.
Experienced female attorneys still often leave their legal careers due to gender-related challenges, such as disproportionate caretaking commitments, being mistaken for lower-level employees, and other social constraints.
The actions of these two women were significant, and there are opportunities for women today to follow in their footsteps to create a better, more equitable profession. Studies show women in leadership roles excel at initiating action, upholding ethical standards, fostering inspiring relationships, and leading efforts toward achieving impactful outcomes and transformative progress.
It also means opening doors for others. Minority attorneys, especially Black and Latina women, are significantly underrepresented in law. As women reach a numerical tipping point in the legal profession, they’re gaining the ability—and the responsibility—to create change that can benefit all underrepresented attorneys.
Last year was a banner year for female attorneys. Compensation and partnerships were up, and for the first time ever, there were more female associates than male associates.
While this is real progress, it’s come after decades of work. The numbers still clearly show that women are underrepresented in partnership and leadership and receive less compensation.
Women currently make up only 27.76% of all partners, with Black and Latina women representing less than 1% of partners, according to 2024 data from the National Association for Law Placement. The number is even lower for equity partners, with women at just 23.7%.
The disparity is also apparent in compensation data. Female attorneys earned on average 19% less than their colleagues, according to the Bureau of Labor and Statistics. There’s an even broader gap at the partner level of 34%, according to Major, Lindsey & Africa.
Female attorneys have come so far from those founding women of American law. But to bridge the significant gender gap, we can still look to the past for some objective lessons to help us obtain better gender parity.
This article does not necessarily reflect the opinion of Bloomberg Industry Group, Inc., the publisher of Bloomberg Law and Bloomberg Tax, or its owners.
Author Information
Heather Clauson Haughian is co-founder and co-managing partner at Culhane Meadows, the largest women-owned, national full-service law firm in the country.
Nicole W. Joseph is chief operating officer and director of finance at Culhane Meadows.
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