Happy Leap Day, What I’m Reading & Thinking readers!

The Gender Composition of State and Federal Appeals Courts

Law.com published some data on the gender composition of judges in state and federal appeals courts. While there is some isolated good news, most of the data are not encouraging. Only 42.2% of state court judges are women, and only 40.4% of federal judges are.

On the federal level, the authors found that only two circuits are female-dominated, while eight have male majorities. Three federal circuits have an equal male-to-female balance:

On the state level, only 15 state courts of last resort have female majorities, one state (Pennsylvania) has an equal percentage of men and women, and 34 states have male majorities:

Men Benefit More from Their Looks at Work Than Women Do

A recent study of more than 11,000 Americans conducted over 20 years found that good-looking men are more likely to attain good jobs and make more money than similarly attractive women. The authors noted that, even accounting for obstacles like coming from a low-income household or growing up in a dangerous neighborhood, attractive men still managed to achieve greater upward mobility. As one article on the study stated, other research has shown that attractive women are seen as less capable or less qualified for their positions than their peers.

Discrimination Lawsuit Filed Against Thompson Hine LLP

As reported by Law360 [paywall], a female attorney who worked for Thompson Hine’s New York City office from 2008 until 2022 and became an income partner in 2013 filed suit against the firm alleging that it allowed practice leader and equity partner Richard De Palma to sexually harass and discriminate against her and other female lawyers at the firm. The lawsuit names De Palma as a defendant, as well as the firm’s female managing partner, Deborah Read.

Lawyer Suicide Risk - it’s Worse for Men

A recent study found an increased risk for suicidal ideation among lawyers. The study’s authors attributed the finding to high levels of work overcommitment, high levels of perceived stress, and loneliness. Interestingly, even though the authors initially hypothesized otherwise, the study found that the risk factors were worse for men than women.

In a Year That Saw Lower Billable Hours, BigLaw Associates Didn’t Have It “Easy”

Bloomberg Law published an article by Major, Lindsey & Africa’s Kate Reider Sheikh refuting an earlier article by another author who contended BigLaw associates who got raises but worked fewer hours last year had it “easy.” While this topic isn’t squarely in the wheelhouse of what I write about, it’s so well-written that it’s worth reading. Particularly if you’re an associate, you should be following Kate’s insights on LinkedIn.

Share Comes Now!

If you’re enjoying this newsletter, please share it with others and encourage them to subscribe. I draft it on Beehiiv (Comes Now (beehiiv.com)) but also provide the Tuesday issue in a LinkedIn newsletter. You can subscribe to the Tuesday posts either place. I do not post Thursday’s What I’m Reading & Thinking issue on LinkedIn. You need to subscribe to the full newsletter on Beehiiv in order to receive that issue.

Have a topic you’d like me to address? Send me an email at [email protected].