The number of women attending the LSU Paul M. Hebert Law Center is the highest it has ever been, even though the school has lagged behind Louisiana’s other law schools and the national average for percentage enrollment for the past decade.
Of the 571 law students enrolled in LSU law school last year, 50% were women, up from the 45.5% recorded in 2018 and a significant increase from the 43.2% recorded in 2011.
Compared to the state’s other four law schools, however, LSU still maintains the smallest percentage of female students for every year but one dating back to 2011—the last year for which The Network was able to access enrollment figures. Meanwhile, Southern University in north Baton Rouge consistently has enrolled the largest percentage of female students in its law program of any institution during that same period, with women comprising more than 60% of its attendees, though LSU officials warn against comparing the two schools.
LSU also lags behind the national average for female enrollment, with women making up 52.4% of law students in 2018.
Female representation in the student body, however, has steadily increased at LSU over the past decade. In 2011, there were nearly 100 more men than women enrolled. Compare that to last year, when women outnumbered men by four.
Assistant Dean for Student Affairs Jake Henry, who previously served as the director of admission for eight years, says he noticed diversity was an issue when he arrived at LSU in 2011, and became concerned it would eventually become an issue with the American Bar Association.
Henry explains that the school does track who is committing to the program, but doesn’t focus on one specific diversity metric—and instead considers the overall makeup of the admitting class, including geographic and racial diversity.
So what steps has the school taken to ensure the program is inclusive? Read the full story from the latest edition of The Network, and subscribe to the free e-newsletter for professional women here.
