"I see a lot of women law students either being pressured into careers they don't want or getting discouraged and taking the 'mommy' track," she said.

Audience members were impressed by the panelists' discussion.

"I thought it was very informative and interesting," Camberley M. W. Crick'00 said.

Thomas G. Saunders '00 said, "What impressed me most was the mix of perspectives we had."

"There were women from all sides of the legal field, and they gave different ideas about what it's like to be a woman in law," he said. "Not all of them had good experiences."

The panel was the first event sponsored by the Harvard Pre-Law Society, a student group that evolved out of the Harvard Mock Trial Team last year.

"We thought this would be a great way to encourage women to find out more about law and maybe apply to law school," said Tanya L. Barnes'00, co-president of the Pre-Law Society.

According to Barnes, the Pre-Law Society is planning its next panel for early March.

The panel will discuss the advantages and disadvantages of taking time off between college and law school.

"We hope to involve more of the Harvard community," Barnes said. "So many people apply to law school, and the Pre-Law Society can be a great resource for them."