This book analyses the current status of women in the law, drawing on two major studies in Canada in 1985 and 1990, and relating the findings to women and the legal profession in the United States. One of the largest studies of women lawyers yet undertaken, this book offers insights based on empirical data into the status of women in the law.

"Gender in Practice is an excellent research report. It contains a wealth of data which merits our attention and replication. It is well written, well thought out, and carefully considered; it is a meaningful contribution to the discipline. This book should be on the reading list of sociologists, legal scholars, legal historians, students of the judicial process, and pre-law advisors."--Law and Politics Book Review "Although they focus on Canadian law practice, the findings show promise for replication in the US context....Careful analysis and valuable insights."--Choice "An extraordinary account of the struggles and satisfactions of women attorneys in the changing climate of the legal profession. Challenging conventional wisdom, Hagan and Kay's book conveys the hard facts and the human side of women's progress in moving beyond the glass ceiling."--Cynthia Fuchs Epstein, Distinguished Professor at the Graduate School and University Center of The City University of New York, and author of Women In Law "A sound contribution to a very important scholarly and practical issue. I am confident this will be a major contribution to the field."--Carrie Menkel-Meadow, University of California Law School, Los Angeles "Gender in Practice is an excellent research report. It contains a wealth of data which merits our attention and replication. It is well written, well thought out, and carefully considered; it is a meaningful contribution to the discipline. This book should be on the reading list of sociologists, legal scholars, legal historians, students of the judicial process, and pre-law advisors."--Law and Politics Book Review "Although they focus on Canadian law practice, the findings show promise for replication in the US context....Careful analysis and valuable insights."--Choice "An extraordinary account of the struggles and satisfactions of women attorneys in the changing climate of the legal profession. Challenging conventional wisdom, Hagan and Kay's book conveys the hard facts and the human side of women's progress in moving beyond the glass ceiling."--Cynthia Fuchs Epstein, Distinguished Professor at the Graduate School and University Center of The City University of New York, and author of Women In Law "A sound contribution to a very important scholarly and practical issue. I am confident this will be a major contribution to the field."--Carrie Menkel-Meadow, University of California Law School, Los Angeles