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Started in 1978 by a small group of women that now includes judges, elected officials, and bar leaders, the Women's Bar Association of Massachusetts (WBA) is a well established, statewide organization committed to its vision of building a strong community of women lawyers who strive to make a difference in the profession and society at large. The WBA of Massachusetts has grown to include over 1,600 members, 29 substantive, regional, and affinity committees, and a charitable arm, the Women's Bar Foundation (WBF), which was created in 1993 to oversee its charitable activities. The WBF currently manages five member-run pro bono programs that provide critical services to needy sectors of the community, including domestic violence victims, teenagers seeking abortions, elderly, and homeless women.

With an annual budget of nearly a half millions dollars, the WBA of Massachusetts is committed to providing dozens of diverse programs to members annually. One of the many successful WBA-sponsored events in 2011 was the first Massachusetts screening of MissRepresentation, a powerful documentary directed by Jennifer Siebel Newsom that addressed how women are portrayed in the media affects women's leadership. This film, which features compelling interviews with well known politicians, journalists, entertainers and activists, including Dr. Condoleezza Rice, Katie Couric, and Gloria Steinem, examines how the media's often disparaging portrayal of women and girls has contributed to relatively low numbers of women in positions of power and influence in the United States. This sold-out screening of over 200 attendees was followed by a WBA-organized panel discussion of the film and potential action steps to change the way media portrays women. The panel featured representatives from the Boston Business Journal, the Big Sister Association of Greater Boston, and the YWCA of Boston. 

The WBA of Massachusetts also held events this past year designed to encourage and support women in attaining success in various career paths through a series entitled "Demystifying the Path to Powerful and Influential Careers." Among the six events, which included discussions about running for elected office, being appointed to high-level government jobs, getting onto for-profit and non-profit boards, and attaining law firm partnership was one entitled "Demystifying the Path to the Bench," which featured a detailed presentation on the judicial application process and a panel discussion during which female members of the Massachusetts judiciary (including a former WBA board president) told their stories, answered audience questions, offered advice on both the application process and professional experience valued in a candidate, and discussed the ways in which the WBA can support members interested in applying to be a judge.

Another important program the WBA hosted this year, through its Women of Color Committee, was a well attended celebration honoring the recent appointment of a number of women of color to the judiciary. These judges have broken barriers and served as an inspiration for both attorneys and non-attorneys throughout the Commonwealth. Attended by the Governor, his chief of staff, and his general counsel, this event was one of many this year that marked the WBA's increased partnership with other organizations working toward similar goals.

Several exciting programs are already on members' calendars for 2012. For example, in February, the WBA is launching "Know Your Rights!," a pilot program designed to educate the leaders of non-profit organizations in the Greater Boston Area about legal issues facing the low-income women and families they serve. This program, which was developed in conjunction with the WBF of Massachusetts and One Family, Inc., will run until November 2012. Each month experts will teach participating non-profit leaders about a selected legal topic and related available resources. Sessions will be offered on a variety of topics including housing rights, family law, labor/employment rights, immigration, educational rights, and criminal offender record information issues. It is the WBA's goal that this initiative strengthens collaborative work between the Massachusetts non-profit and legal communities so they can better serve vulnerable members of our society. 

Similarly, in the spring of 2012, the WBA is sponsoring a panel presentation regarding the available fee shifting statutes that allow attorneys to take on low income clients for various causes of action. This program, which will benefit both the private bar and those in need, is geared toward a variety of audiences, including public-interest-minded new attorneys concerned about the job market, private practitioners already doing fee-shifting work and looking to expand their areas of practice, and legal aid lawyers trying to maximize resources for low-income clients in the face of widespread lay-offs. Practice areas covered in this panel presentation will include landlord tenant law, foreclosure-related and consumer work, SSI/SSDI claims, wage and hour claims, and employment and housing discrimination.

In addition to offering programs that seek to benefit its members and the community at-large, the WBA of Massachusetts also strives to achieve the full and equal participation of women in every aspect of society through its work with area legislators and the Massachusetts judiciary. Specifically, each year the WBA of Massachusetts develops a list of priority legislation for the coming year, which it introduces at its annual legislative breakfast at the Massachusetts State House. This year's annual breakfast was marked by celebration as three of the WBA of Massachusetts' legislative priorities - alimony reform, anti-human trafficking legislation, and transgender civil rights - were signed into law during the past year. Priorities for the upcoming year include legislation on paid sick leave and comparable work. Additionally, the WBA Amicus Committee submitted various of friend-of-the-court briefs this year, adding to the dozens it has filed with Massachusetts state and federal appellate courts on issues of importance to women.

To read more about the WBA of Massachusetts, click here. For more information, feel free to call our Executive Director or any of our officers or immediate past presidents.