May 2014 Newsletter

Register now, and plan to join leaders of women's bar associations from across the United States and Canada in Boston on August 8 for our 2014 Women's Bar Leadership Summit. After welcoming remarks from the Honorable Barbara A. Lenk, Associate Justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, our opening keynote speaker will be Lauren Stiller Rikleen, author of the highly acclaimed, ground-breaking book You Raised Us, Now Work With Us-Millennials, Career Success and Building Strong Workplace Teams. Her book is an indispensable resource to help Millennials, Gen-Xers and Baby Boomers understand generational differences and create a more effective work environment. Each attendee will receive a copy of this book.

Koriamanya Carew, Director of Strategic Diversity Initiatives at Shook, Hardy & Bacon, will discuss current issues in breaking barriers in diversity.

The winners of the 2014 Public Service and Outstanding Member Program Awards will be honored at a special luncheon at the Boston College Club, a short walk away from the Summit venue of Suffolk University Law School. The New Hampshire Women's Bar Association will be honored for Overcoming Cancer's Legal Challenges. The Outstanding Member Program Award will be presented to Broward County Women Lawyers' Association for Maze of Injustice--Issues and Concerns Involving Native American Women and Children in the Courts. Our luncheon keynote speaker will be Nancy Gertner. Formerly a federal judge, Nancy Gertner is now Professor of Practice at Harvard Law School. She will be honored as a recipient of this year's Margaret Brent Women Lawyers of Achievement Award. If time doesn't permit you to attend the full-day Summit, please join us for the awards luncheon only. Click here for more information and a registration form.

Caryl Rivers, Professor of Journalism at Boston University and Rosalind Barnett, Senior Scientist, Women's Studies Research Center at Brandeis University, co-authors of the book The New Soft War on Women, will comment on harmful media narratives about gender.

Our final speaker of the day will be Amy Gutman, Senior Writer at Harvard School of Public Health and facilitator of the OpEd Project, which seeks to increase the number of women thought leaders in key commentary forums. Learn how you and your bar association can become thought leaders on the issues most important to you.

As usual, we will set aside time for attendees to share great ideas and programs of their own women's bar associations. The cost for the full-day program, including continental breakfast, awards luncheon and a copy of You Raised Us, Now Work With Us is $200. Click here for the registration form. Please reserve your room at the Nine-Zero Hotel, where we have a limited number of rooms at a special Summit rate of $249 for a single or double, with tax. Click here, or call the hotel at 1-800 KIMPTON and ask for the Women's Bar Leadership Summit rate.

If you can be in Boston on Thursday evening, August 7, plan to join us for a showing of the film Girl Rising and a reception. We will be hosted by Duane Morris LLP. Details will follow soon!

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While you are in Boston, be sure to attend the always inspiring Margaret Brent Women Lawyers of Achievement Luncheon on Sunday, August 10, from noon until 2:00 pm at the Hynes Convention Center. Individual tickets are $110 if purchased in advance by June 16. For more information about the event, click here. Here is a list of this year's honorees:

Hon. Nancy Gertner; Harvard Law School and Judge (Retired); U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts; Cambridge, MA
Anastasia D. Kelly; Co-Managing Partner Americas; DLA Piper; Washington, DC
Allie B. Latimer; Former General Counsel; General Services Administration; Washington, DC
Hon. Kathryn Doi Todd; Associate Justice (Retired); California Court of Appeal, Second District; Los Angeles, CA
Marissa C. Wesely; Of Counsel; Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP; New York, NY

Building An Organizational Culture of Accountability: Part 1, Members

by Mary Dougherty

One challenge that has surprised me serving in various roles with women lawyer organizations over the last decade is the epidemic among members and volunteers who fail to recognize that they share responsibility for the ability of the organization to effect change. This two-part article explores strategies for organization leaders to facilitate a better understanding of those roles. In part 1, I will focus on member engagement, and in part 2, next month, I will focus on strategies to attract and keep good volunteers.

Perhaps the most visible example of the lack of member accountability is the growing number of event "no shows." It is disappointing when those who have signed up to attend simply do not show up. Doubly so in the case of a sold out event where people have been turned away because of space constraints and the speaker ends up talking to several empty seats. When membership is down and active participation is not a priority for members, it may be time to reevaluate the mission and strategic plan, but it may also be that it is time to review the organizational culture.

Members are more likely to develop a greater appreciation for their role in the organization if they have a comprehensive picture of the challenges along with the successes. Organizations invest hundreds of volunteer hours recruiting speakers, developing content, researching venues, and promoting the event or program to participants. As a result, it is tempting to focus on the measurable successes of our events and programs without sharing the challenges that the organization experiences. One hopes that the members who register and do not show up are doing so under the false assumption that they are the only one. One strategy is to state in the newsletter summary of the event that 100 people registered and 80 attended. When the attendance rate is a metric, members are more likely to be invested in their part to ensure that 100 people registered and 120 attended.

While member support of programs and events often takes the form of donations of time and funds, it can be equally valuable in the form of participation, attendance, or a simple thank you to a volunteer. Providing the fundamental structure of an organization is relatively thankless and may not be glamorous or prestigious. An organization cannot thrive without two-way communication with members about the value of every dollar, every minute of volunteer time, every member who benefits from a program, and every member who attends an event. Member support in all of its forms allows the organization to continue creating meaningful roles for volunteers and developing programs that resonate with the membership.

If every member made it a personal goal to attend as many events as she can comfortably fit in her schedule, the simple act of showing up can make all the difference to the ability of the organization to continue recruiting new members and dynamic speakers, providing great programs and events, and ensuring that our collective voices are heard. If a picture is worth 1000 words, then we all want pictures of our events to include a large room filled with people. Another aspect of member participation is feedback. Every member should make it a personal goal to thank the volunteers for their service and to send a quick note to the organizer about the things about the program that were enjoyable.

If the only feedback is negative feedback, it is difficult to evaluate a program, particularly when the issues identified are more about the member than the organization. Member issues are the feedback that seeks an exception or a special interpretation of every policy because of a flawed perception that member service by definition should include flexible policies to accommodate members who are busy "doing-it-all." Common examples are the member who discovers the morning of the event that she forgot to register and insists on being allowed to attend, even though the event has been sold out for weeks, and the member who cannot attend the event after registering and expects the organization to provide a full refund without regard for costs the organization has already incurred and cannot recover. It would be great if these two categories were offsetting, but all too often, the organization spends valuable resources trying to match the two up when the members could easily and efficiently connect with each other directly.

When the organization is busy subsidizing individual costs and resolving complaints for the vocal few, we are missing opportunities to provide a sold-out audience a thoughtful dialog with a great speaker, to provide value and show appreciation to our sponsors and donors, and to make the volunteer experience rewarding and meaningful. Holding members accountable will help you keep good volunteers, promote good stewardship of resources, and provide beneficial programs and events to support the advancement of women in the legal profession.

Mary Dougherty is President of Queen's Bench, the Portland chapter of Oregon Women Lawyers. This year Queen's Bench is celebrating its 66th anniversary. Mary regularly volunteers with various Oregon nonprofits through the Portland New Generations Rotary Club and is an attorney at Brownstein Rask, where her practice emphasizes estate planning, taxation and business law.

2014 NAWL Annual Meeting and

Awards Luncheon, New York, July 24

The National Association of Women Lawyers' annual meeting and awards luncheon will take place at New York's Waldorf Astoria Hotel on July 24. The day's jam-packed agenda begins with a breakfast at 7:00 a.m. and ends with a reception. An awards luncheon will honor several notable individuals as well as the Honeywell Corporation. Click here for a list of honorees. Cost of the full program, which includes NAWL membership, is $425 until May 31, but there are reduced price categories at various levels. Click here for more information about prices.

Save the Date--February 6

Have you wondered how to "shatter the echo chamber" and get men involved in changing law practice in ways that will enable everyone to utilize their skills and talents to the fullest without being held back by old stereotypes? On Friday afternoon, February 6 as part of the ABA midyear meeting in Houston, we will be tackling that issue with a program which you will be able to replicate in your own women's bar association. Stay tuned for more details!

NCWBA Listserves

The NCWBA maintains three separate listserves. Presidents and Presidents-Elect of our member associations are eligible for our Presidents Circle listserve. Executive Directors and those who take on primary administrative tasks for member organizations which do not have paid staff are eligible for our Executive Directors listserve. Anyone involved with women's bar associations as a leader or member may opt to join our NCWBA@yahoogroups.com list. This is an interactive list which is a great resource for referral requests, job announcements and other matters of interest to women's bar associations. To join this list, send us an e-mail with your name and the e-mail which you wish to use, describing your involvement in a women's bar association. Let us know if you know of people who wish to be added to any of our lists.

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Does Your Organization Have an Event to Share?

Member organizations are invited to have links to significant upcoming events on our "Members" page. Send us your links!

National Conference of Women's Bar Associations | info@ncwba.org | http://www.ncwba.org
PO Box 82366
Portland, OR 97282

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