An Interview with the First Female Lawyer Outside Cobb County…

As the first female lawyer outside Cobb County, what challenges did you face?

When I first started practising law, the few of us of the female gender were usually referred to as “little ladies” by the judges.  Our male counterparts were referred to as “Colonel.”  It was evident immediately that the ‘good old boys’ were not sure how to deal with us and that we were an unwanted pariah.   In fact, when I first started practising law, the female members of the bar could only be a member of the auxiliary for the Cobb County Bar Association and not members of the actual bar association.   The few other females who were then practising in Cobb County had been here either all their lives, or had married into a family that had deep roots here.  I was from Virginia and my husband from Valdosta, Georgia, so we were “unknowns”.   I cannot say that we were intimidated, as we were folks walking into the practice with blank slates.   Neither of us tried to “step on anyone’s toes”, but to cordially work within the established system regardless of how we were viewed or treated.  As time passed, slowly so did the attitudes, until there was acceptance.

I noticed that most of my male counterparts felt that domestic relations law was beneath them and that one should only take a divorce case if there was no other money coming in to pay the bills.  I chose to start practising domestic law in an effort to establish a practice where the men did not feel threatened that I was attempting to take away their income.  Almost immediately, I was overwhelmed with clients, especially female, who wanted another female to direct them through the process.   I made a conscious effort to solicit male clients as well, so that I could maintain a balanced view of the application of the law.

I was cognizant that I was changing ideas for the future young ladies who would follow me.  That has always been an important goal and considering the number of female attorneys out there now, I believe those of us who started paving the way, were successful in opening a closed door.

How did you work around these challenges?

I felt the only way to work around these challenges was to work within the challenge itself and to make as few waves as possible to obtain the acceptance of my fellow practitioners.  I noticed that some of the earlier female attorneys tended to try to mimic our male counterparts.   My perspective was just the opposite.  I was a woman and proud to be a woman and dressed accordingly.  I was not opposed to hugging the male attorney versus shaking his hand.  I also made sure I was completely prepared before I walked into a courtroom and would be a formidable force to reckon with.  Soon, I was viewed as a well-prepared attorney who represented her clients and their positions, who just happened to be female.

With the legal industry being predominantly male, can you share your top tips on rising up the legal ladder?

Know your area of the law.  Be the best prepared attorney in the courtroom.  Treat everyone from the janitor up with complete respect.  Do not speak negatively, regardless of your personal opinions, of any other professional.  Always be professional in your representation of a client.  Do nothing which might reflect negatively against the profession, or any other professional.

How have you seen attitudes towards women in law change over your years of practice?

That is a given.  We have gone from being an oddity to frankly just a part of the norm.  Perhaps my deceased husband said it best when he stated that women were beginning to achieve equality in our profession.  His statement around the turn of the century was that you could never find an inept female attorney when we first started practising law, but we had progressed to equal opportunity in that arena.

There is still a discrepancy in pay scales for women versus their male counterparts.

Also, in this day and age, it is no longer the universal opinion that the woman should not work outside the home.  Our society now believes that each woman should make that decision for her future herself, and for it to be accepted.  That by working outside the home we are not ignoring and sacrificing our children and family responsibilities, but enhancing them in an alternate method.  I am not sure my own parents ever understood that I worked because I wanted to work.  Somehow, they felt that I worked because my husband was not able to provide adequately for our family.  Nothing could be further from the truth, nor were they ever going to accept the truth.  I cannot imagine parents thinking with that mindset in today’s society.

What else do you think needs to change in this area, to ensure more equality between men and women in the legal industry?

There is still a discrepancy in pay scales for women versus their male counterparts.  Additionally, in general, in larger firms I believe it is still easier for men to achieve partner status versus the female attorneys.  Employers still think about pregnancy leave and loss of pay for the firm.  None of these topics are spoken about openly, but they still exist.  No longer do we have open discrimination, but the subtleties are still apparent.

When I entered the workforce, I was told what the starting salary would be for me as a female with the explanation that it would be less than for the male due to the fact the “male had to support his family.”  Additionally, it was completely permissive to ask prospective female employees if they were going to get married and if they planned on having children.

We have come a long way leaving it, hopefully, easier for the next generation to finish the process.  I look forward to them doing so.

Why did you pick family law? What was your motivation behind doing so?

I chose this area as it was the path of least resistance for me to have a career as a trial attorney without having to butt my head against a brick wall on a daily basis.  The glass ceiling was a little less painful.

Carol’s Journey into Law…

My husband and I chose to change careers after our marriage to one another in 1970.  We then worked to put both of us through law school with him graduating in 1974 and I, in 1976.  After my graduation in June 1976, we purchased an older home in Marietta, Georgia and renovated it for our law offices.  The firm has been at that location, 132 Forest Avenue, Marietta, Georgia since June 1976 and continues today.  I have continued to maintain the practice since my husband’s death in 2004. 

My father was a law school graduate, though he worked as a special agent under J. Edgar Hoover and the FBI.  He introduced me to the Courts and to the fascination of the law from a very early age.  Interestingly my family did not encourage a daughter to grow up to be a professional, so it had to be my determination over the cultural vibes of the era to push against the norm.   It was an added benefit marrying a man who was progressive in his thinking and encouraged me to fulfil my dreams.

Carol S. Baskin

ATTORNEY

Location: 132 Forest Avenue, Marietta, Georgia 30060-1614

Phone: 770-424-7780

Email: cbaskin@baskinlaw.net