To Advance the Status of Women in Law and Society: Lawyers Club of San Diego at 50 Years

The women’s rights movement in the 1960s and 1970s sought equal rights, opportunities and greater personal freedom for women and touched every area of women’s experience—politics, work, the family, and sexuality.

In 1972, there were about 24 women, among some 1,800 men, practicing law in San Diego County. There were no women on serving as judges and the professional landscape for women attorneys was overtly hostile and sexist.

Angered by the sexist status-quo, six San Diego female lawyers combined their energy, drive and savvy into an organization with a gender-neutral name that would challenge barriers and elevate women to a new and equal status as lawyers and as people. Lawyers Club was born in 1972.

This exhibition, commemorating the 50th anniversary of the organization, tells the story of Lawyers Club organized activism and traces the development of this diverse social movement in San Diego.

For the past 50 years, Lawyers Club of San Diego members have used their position and knowledge of the law to advocate for the status of all women to repeal sexist laws, support more women in the judiciary, tackle issues like unequal pay and reproductive rights, and advocate for women in leadership positions. Today, Lawyers Club is one of the leading bar organizations in the country for its programming and advocacy.