Multicultural women attorneys are the most invisible and disadvantaged group in the national debate defined by the forceful demographic patterns rapidly changing the complexion of American society and the legal profession. Over the past decade, the number of women attorneys of varying racial and ethnic backgrounds increased in striking fashion: from about 7,300 to 23,000, according to the 1990 Census. With such rapid growth comes stress, conflict and differing views of how best to address the needs and problems of women and multicultural attorneys who are seeking progress and opportunities to compete fairly in the legal marketplace. To date, the results have brought both concern and hope - particularly in the case of multicultural women attorneys.

The American Bar Association (ABA) has demonstrated a commitment in recent years to exploring the issues repeatedly raised by women lawyers and multicultural lawyers. The ABA's companion commissions - the Commission on Opportunities for Minorities in the Profession (Commission on Minorities) and the Commission on Women in the Profession (Commission on Women) - have tackled many of these issues and developed programs and extensive educational materials, such as the ground-breaking Minority Counsel Program and Lawyers and Balanced Lives: A Guide to Workplace Policies for Lawyers; convened numerous hearings, conferences and meetings; aided in appointments for the ABA; publicized the programs and achievements of their constituents in their newsletters Goal IX and Perspectives, and  generally contributed to creating a climate of greater tolerance for diversity and opportunity for all lawyers, regardless of racial/ethnic background or gender.

In the Late 1980's, both Commissions began to recognize that certain unique concerns of multicultural women attorneys were not receiving sufficient attention. Since a basic premise of each Commission's work was that one's race, ethnicity or gender negatively impacts one's success and acceptance in the greater society, then certainly a combination of of race, ethnicity and gender would be even more potent - and possibly more disadvantageous. Consequently, in 1989, the two Commissions approved the formation of what was then called the Minority Women Lawyers Subcommittee (since renamed the Multicultural Women Attorneys Network).

The Network defined three goals:

1. identify the issues which multicultural women lawyers view as important;
2. explore possible solutions to these issues; and
3. educate the ABA as to its role and responsibility to address these issues.

Their activities have included roundtable discussions and regional conferences.

The Network published a book called "Dear Sisters, Dear Daughters: Words of Wisdom from Multicultural Women Attorneys Who've Been There and  Done That." and the report "The Burdens of Both, the Privileges of Neither" which discusses the status of minority women in the legal profession. A free supplemental report has also been published on "The Experiences of Native American Women Lawyers."