ABSTRACT
WomenlawyerswerelongoverlookedbyAmericanhistoriansofwomenand legalhistoriansalike.Inthepastdecade,effortstoredressthishaveprincipally takentheformofbiographiesofindividualsorofgroupsonaregionalorstate basis. 1VirginiaDrachman'srecentmonograph,SistersinLaw,2givesthemost comprehensiveaccounttodateofwomeninthelegalprofessionintheearly twentiethcentury.3Herworkexploreswomen'seffortstoreconcilethe'double consciousness'offemininityandprofessionalisminanarrativepiecedtogether fromquantitativeandmanuscriptsources.Myownresearchisamuchmore limitedcasestudy,ofwomeninthe'interwargeneration'whoqualifiedinlaw between1920and1941.IhavefocusedonlawyersactiveinBoston,Chicago, WashingtonDCandNewYork,wherethemoresizeableconcentrationsof womenlawyersandattorneysexisted.4
