BigLaw -- Is There a Woman Problem?

 The Intrepid One™ does the heavy lifting here.

Increasingly, women, frustrated by unequal pay and opportunity for partnership, are leaving Big Law, taking their chances with smaller firms or by going solo.

Women have been grappling with the challenge of succeeding at law firms for decades. While many firms have taken steps to address women's concerns about balancing their work with parenthood by offering flex-time, the conversation now appears to have shifted to money — equal pay, equity partnerships and training to develop that crucial book of business.

Increasingly, the focus is on whether big firms have women on key executive and compensation committees and why there are so few female managing partners.

At a recent international law conference in Miami Beach, a panel of top managing partners, all male, conceded law firms are not doing enough to promote and retain female lawyers. While the law firm leaders noted they offer flex-time to women, two female lawyers in the audience raised their hands and declared they are more concerned with other issues these days.

"It's all about money and business development," said Peggy Kubicz-Hall of Minneapolis-based Greene Espel. "You have to think about who the second is on your project. Ultimately, it's a business, and for women to get ahead they have to have clients."

Of particular concern to many women, including members of the Florida Association for Women Lawyers, are several recent studies showing female lawyers are earning less and making partner at lower rates than their male counterparts, both in Florida and nationally.

What say you big-firmers?

Can anyone dispute that the challenges, opportunities and -- yes -- pay -- are different than for male counterparts?

That doesn't mean you can't succeed and succeed big inside a big firm, but it's hard to argue everything is exactly 100% equal.

In other news, the Lewis Tein/Miccosukee Tribal case returns to the 3d DCA on the plaintiffs' emergency petition to stop an evidentiary hearing so the plaintiffs can get more discovery or expand the scope of the hearing (or something like that).

As always, judge for yourself.