1.
BREAKING THROUGH THE GLASS CEILING
HOW FEMALE ATTORNEYS CAN PROSPER
Featuring Lyndsay A. Markley

2.
TODAY’S WEBINAR IS SPONSORED BY
The National Trial Lawyers
Host
Larry Bodine
Publisher, National Trial Lawyers
Speaker
Lyndsay A. Markley, Esq.
The Law Firm of Lyndsay A. Markley

3.
ABOUT LARRY
 Publisher
The National Trial Lawyers
 Website: TheNationalTrialLawyers.org
 Email: LarryBodineNow@gmail.com
 Phone: 520-577-9759

4.
ABOUT LYNDSAY
 Recognized, Chicago-based personal injury/wrongful death trial
attorney.
 Currently Principal Attorney at the Law Office of Lyndsay A. Markley, Ltd.
 Previously was an equity shareholder at an established Chicago law
firm since 2011.
 Acknowledgements Include:

5.
THE REALITY
 Approximately 34% of attorneys in private law firm practice are female.
 Of these women, only 17% percent are equity partners .
 Only 3% are in a management partnership at the largest 200 law firms.
 Female shareholders at the largest 200 firms make 11% less than their male colleagues.
From ‘A Current Glance at Women in Law’- July 2014, American Bar Association Commission on Women
in the Legal Profession

6.
TYPES OF GENDER BASED INEQUALITY
 Pay
 Promotion
 Treatment
 Presumption of
Mommy Track

7.
WHERE DO WE BEGIN?
Define success for yourself.
 What does success look like for you?
 Large or Small Firm? Junior Partnership
or Equity? Name on the door? Autonomy?
Management?
 Tailor your career trajectory to these long
term goals.
 Find a mentor.

8.
LYNDSAY’S STORY
“Success” = trial attorney
My name on the door of a small, established law firm.
Associate 2005 at defense law firm.
Associate 2006 - 2011 at small plaintiff firm.
In 2011, achieved my goal of named shareholder status at a small established
firm.
In 2014, my game plan was changed abruptly and I started my own law firm. So
far this “unplanned” aspect of my career has been the best and most exciting
part!

9.
WHY AREN’T WOMEN BEING PROMOTED?
Fear:
 Of asking for promotions, raises or what we want.
Assuming:
 Our talents will be recognized and then promotions handed to us.
Failure:
 To apply for jobs we qualify for.
 To take advantage of a business plan that allows for an alternative schedule.
 To recognize the importance of acquiring business.
 To make career goals known to superiors.
 Overestimating the importance of the worker bee.
The Mommy Track and its assumptions

10.
HOW CAN WE CHANGE THIS?
1. Ask for the promotion!
2. Bring in Business
3. Seek out a mentor
4. Bring in Business
5. Make your goals known
6. Bring in Business
7. Make your accomplishments known
8. Oh, and also, bring in business

11.
A STEP FURTHER
 What if these actions do not work?
 Get Feedback- Speak with your mentor
and/or employers
 Take your business and start up your
own!

12.
MAKE YOURSELF INDISPENSABLE
 The most important aspect to any business (including a law firm) is the kind of
long-term financial gain the business (firm) stands to gain from you.
 Ask yourself: “How valuable am I to the business?” And be honest.
 Prioritize bringing in new business or forming strong relationships with
existing business.

13.
HOW CAN THE FELLAS HELP MAKE A CHANGE?
 It’s not all on women’s shoulders! Male
counterparts can assist by:
 Realizing that not all women want to bear
children
 Knowing that even those who do can still
be great attorneys
 Embracing a woman’s need to physically
recover after having a child and delight in
the fact that a woman wants to
emotionally-bond with a child for its health

14.
TIPS FOR GOING SOLO:
After honestly assessing the business that
would follow you and determining that you
can financially make a move, consider
taking your destiny into your own hands
and starting your own business.
 Branding
 Technology
 Marketing & Social Media

15.
QUESTIONS
 Contact: Larry Bodine
520.577.9759
LarryBodineNow@Gmail.com
NationalTrialLawyers.org
 Contact: Lyndsay Markley
312 523 2158
lmarkleylaw@gmail.com
www.lmarkleylaw.com
Follow Lyndsay On:
www.facebook.com/lyndsay.a.markley
www.linkedin.com/in/lyndsayamarkley/
twitter.com/lyndsaymarkley