Following a nationwide trend, women now make up the majority of students attending Florida law schools, with Florida A&M University (FAMU) College of Law reporting the highest proportion of women students of any campus in the state, according to Enjuris.com.
Enjuris, which provides legal resources for those involved in accidents or injuries, reported that female enrollment at Florida schools approved by the American Bar Association (ABA) stood at 56% as of last year, up from 53% in 2017. Among all U.S. law schools, the proportion of women students at FAMU College of Law – 68.75% – is the fourth highest, Enjuris reported.
Deidré Keller, the law school’s dean, said the campus’ popularity with women is the result of the school’s legislative mandate to help diversify the profession. The College of Law’s mission statement emphasizes its role as a catalyst for change by serving the needs of underserved communities and welcoming all racial, ethnic and national groups.
“This is a sort of a happy consequence of our focus on minority students,” Keller told the Florida Record. “... The applicant pool is predominantly female. That is an opportunity we have really capitalized on.”
In Florida today, the legal profession continues to be majority male, according to Keller, but change is on the way as older attorneys retire and new law school graduates enter the practice. The school would also like to see more African-American men enter the legal profession, she said.
In addition, the school tries to serve the needs of its women students, many of whom are wives, mothers and caregivers, by delivering on issues of concern to them, such as child care, according to Keller.
Noting that law school enrollment rose 13% overall from 2020 to 2021, the Enjuris study attributed the increase to students now having the option to take the Law School Admissions Test (LSAT) online, an overall slowdown in hiring due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the death of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, which helped to illustrate the role lawyers play in American democracy.