In this study,ethnic and gender discrimination perceived by minority students was investigated in a sample of 118 Hispanic law school students. Despite governmental efforts at promoting affirmative action practices,perceived discrimination can act as a barrier in the legal profession that keeps minority and female attorneys from advancing in the profession. Results were consistent with the hypotheses,suggesting that (a) female students anticipated more discrimination in the legal profession than male students; (b) the higher the perceived discrimination,the less fair the students perceived the promotion process in their future law firm will be; and (c) the lower the perceived fairness of the promotion process,the lower the satisfaction with their chosen career (the law profession) and the lower the respondents’ perceived career prospects. Practical implications and avenues for future research are discussed.
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