Courting Kathleen Hannigan will be of special interest to women lawyers and law students, professional women, and women everywhere who are curious about the social history of women in law and the professions, law firm cultures, and the sexual politics of law firms. This is an insider’s view of how large law firms work, and what it was like to be among the first big wave of women in law firms—before maternity leaves, diversity programs, alternative work schedules and before the discovery of glass ceilings.
“Thank you for your your unique contribution to the advancement of women by memorializing where we have come from, and keeping us mindful that we have a distance to go.”
Eileen Trost
Freeborn & Peters, LLC
“her novel paints a very precise picture of a place and time, showing what it meant to be a woman breaking glass ceilings. How Hannigan decides to testify in Ann Rose’s case is worth the wait.”
BOOKLIST
“Mary tells it like it was—and still is. This is a brilliant and funny re-telling of life in the big law firm swamp from the perspective of a young female lawyer who started her career in the ’70s. It is a must-read for any young woman contemplating or embarking upon a career in law or business.”
Deborah H. Bornstein
Litigator and Law Firm Partner
“Courting Kathleen Hannigan gives the reader a chilling but empowering sense of what might have happened to the author’s fellow Yale alumna Hillary Clinton had she followed her classmates into a high-powered law firm—and what is still happening to smart, ambitious women today as they navigate the difficult line between being professionally strong and being labeled unfeminine. A must-read for any woman who has ever tried, aspires to, or is curious about breaking into a male- dominated field.”
Anne Mini, Ph.D.
No Fear and A Family Darkly
“Courting Kathleen Hannigan is a wonderful, true-to-life depiction of a female attorney’s role in a large law firm— complete with struggles, successes, relationships, self-doubt– running the full gamut of personal and professional challenges. This novel is for anyone who has experienced or who may face gender issues in the workplace. It also beautifully explores the effect–subtle and not-so-subtle–that a woman’s professional career has on her personal and family life. Reed’s character development is extremely detailed and realistic. The book was a page-turner for me as I lived each day along with Kathleen, her friends and colleagues.”
Leslie Desmond
Attorney (retired)
“Mary Hutchings Reed, a highly regarded law partner herself, has skillfully created a gutsy and appealing heroine. Kathleen Hannigan joins a blue-stocking law firm, shrewdly plays to win, makes partner, finds romance and then faces her most crucial trial. If you want to know the truth about the law firm game, read this book.”
Enid Powell
Breakthru Writing
“Mary Hutchings Reed has written an insightful story about the impact of women lawyers on the culture of a law firm. Unfortunately, the funny, strange and sexist situations ring true, even in today’s world.”
Pete Wentz
Executive Vice President, APCO Worldwide
Former General Counsel, Helene Curtis
