The top 16 U.S. law schools' journals are led by women – including Penn Law

The law review journals from the top 16 law schools in the United States, including Penn Law, all feature women at the helm for the first time in history. 

The slate of women represents the leaders of the journals of each of the top law schools, including Yale, Stanford, Harvard, and Penn. Together, the group compiled a publication called "Women & Law," showcasing essays from women in the profession. 

Third-year Penn Law student Gabriella Ravida serves as the editor-in-chief of the University of Pennsylvania Law Review, the nation’s oldest law journal. In addition to being one of the 16 female editors-in-chief, Ravida said she is the second-ever black woman to lead Penn's journal. 

“Having the chance to be a part of the progress is remarkable,” Ravida wrote in an email to The Daily Pennsylvanian.

The improbability of a full slate of women across 16 journals has left some of the women “stunned,” according to The Washington Post. While not a cure-all, the women serve as a marker of change occurring in the field, the editor-in-chief of Duke Law Journal Farrah Bara told The Washington Post. 

This historic achievement stands in contrast to representation challenges faced by women in the highest ranks of the legal profession. Women make up less than a quarter of law firm equity partners and a third of federal district and appeals court judges, according to The Washington Post.    

“While the celebrations have been so fun and getting to know 15 amazing women leaders has been a joy, the moment is enormously significant to me as a signal of what is on the horizon,” Ravida wrote in an email to the DP. “This moment gives me hope that more celebrations like it will come with time, opportunity, and courage of leaders from all walks of life to rise to the occasion.”