Neither Penn Senior Vice President and General Counsel Wendy White nor assistant professor at Penn Law School Catherine Struve is like the ditsy female lawyer portrayed in the movie Legally Blonde, but both have encountered difficulties in their profession.
"It's amusing to be mistaken for the person delivering the lunch," said Struve, the aggression in her voice a remnant of her time spent as a litigator.
The Penn Consortium of Undergraduate Women organized a gathering of about 30 -- mostly prospective law students -- in the Annenberg School for Communication's red sofa-adorned lobby to hear White and Struve describe their experiences and roles in the legal field, and to garner advice last Friday.
Selected participants joined in further discussion over a gourmet buffet meal in the Faculty Club of the Inn at Penn, as the first event in the organization's luncheon series called "Networking Women."
"I want to know of the issues unique to women before I enter law school, and these two have achieved stature in the field," College junior Aylese Kanze said.
Not all attendees were bound for law school, though. College of General Studies senior Roberta Turner, who is majoring in environmental studies, came to the lecture to find out "how to approach lawyers."
White received her law degree from Penn Law School in the 1970s, on the cusp of women's acceptance into the profession. She said her graduating class comprised 25 percent women, the class before her 10 percent and the class prior to that 5 percent.
Today, more than half of law students are women, according to College senior and PCUW Chairwoman Jenny Lane.
But a law degree alone is not enough to gain attention and respect in the field.
"This is entirely merit-based. Good work matters," Struve said. "If they know you know your stuff, that's the best way to gain respect. Use what you've got, whatever it is."
Women have made headway, and the challenge is no longer entering into, but rather surviving in, the profession. The most trouble lies in balancing a demanding law career and traditional family obligations.
"Family will always be an issue. Companies must be better equipped to deal," said Rachel Schiffman, a Wharton sophomore and president of the Wharton Business Law Association.
White, who stopped working at a law firm in 1999, said she now has the "best job in America."
White started working for the University in 1999 as the deputy general counsel.
"I was told to provide athletics for the alumni, parking for the professors and sex for the students," White said, jokingly.
White provides legal advice and counsel services to thousands of University affiliates.
With so many law firms recruiting on campus, jobs like White's, and those offered in the public sector, are often overlooked, according to Penn Professional Women's Network Secretary Amy Calhoun.
Struve, who has taught at Penn for five years, added that women are not becoming law professors in large numbers.
"There are still strides that need to be made," Struve said.
