Our Attorney Emily Chimenti Weighs in on Women in Law Study

The National Association for Law Placement (NALP)’s 2023 Report on Diversity in U.S. Law Firms showed that women now outnumber male law associates—an unprecedented achievement in the profession.

Our attorney, Emily Chimenti, contributed several comments to The Indiana Lawyer, reflecting on the success of women associates in the state and nationally.

“Certainly, women are moving to positions where they weren’t seen before,” Chimenti reflected. She noted that Indiana has a female state supreme court chief justice in Chief Justice Loretta Rush, one of only five states with a woman serving in this role. Women, such as Indiana Southern District Chief Judge Tanya Walton Pratt, are also increasingly stepping into legal leadership roles.

Women in Law Firm Partnerships

Chimenti, a personal injury attorney, said that female attorneys represent clients more often than male attorneys in her medical malpractice cases. She also noted that more and more women have been promoted to income-level partners at private law firms.

Chimenti acknowledges there’s room for improvement, notably the low numbers of women of color in the legal profession. In 2023, less than a quarter of multi-tier law firm equity partners were women, less than 10% were people of color, and less than 5% were women of color.

The article included reactions from several female lawyers throughout Indiana, all applauding the increasing number of women in the legal profession. Wilson Kehoe Winingham LLC is a proud supporter of women in law and hopes this encouraging trend continues.

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