With the exception of women's bar associations which undertake lobbying activities, the majority of women's bar groups avoid politics. If they advocate for solutions to social issues, they tend to do so in broad terms, such as calling for a diverse judiciary or an end to violence against women. It can be easy to alienate members by assuming that a particular approach to solving a social problem is endorsed by all members. And then there is the matter of the lack of a bright line as to when political activity endangers the organization's IRS classification. Sometimes, however, women's bar groups are seen as a logical source of information and opinion on certain issues, and silence can be seen as a lack of engagement or acquiescence. In the days to come, you can be certain that the boards of women's bar associations will be discussing the correct approach to take in reacting to the issues of the day, whether by engaging in direct advocacy or by being a conduit of information for members' discussions and activities regarding current events.

The Women's Bar Association of Massachusetts, which does have a legislative policy committee, has issued a statement regarding the Global Gag Rule. Numerous state and local bar associations issued statements regarding the executive order on immigration. See, for example, the statement from the New York City Bar Association, which took pains to explain that its response was not political or partisan.

Oregon Women Lawyers, through its active member listserv, shared information about the Women's March in locations throughout Oregon and in DC, as well as reaction to the executive order on immigration and resources for attorneys who want to assist those most affected by the order.

Explaining Membership Benefits

A challenge to any voluntary membership organization is explaining to potential members just why they should join. It's great to have a web page with a list of benefits, but such a listing alone is seldom enough to convince someone who isn't a member to join. People join women's bar associations because they have been asked to do so by someone whose advice they value, or because they've heard through the grapevine that membership is going to help them settle more quickly into the local legal community because of the built-in network a women's bar association provides.

Probably the ideal way to recruit new members is for an enthusiastic member to spend some time in a social setting with a potential member to outline the value of the organization and answer questions. Consider hosting a membership open house as Dallas Women Lawyers Association has done. Georgia Association of Women Lawyers has made it easy and pleasant for members and potential members to mingle to establish the relationships that encourage membership through a series called Meet GAWL.

Some groups have chosen to explain membership benefits through videos. Take a look at these efforts from Florida Association for Women Lawyers and Singapore Association of Women Lawyers.

Using a few quotes about the value of membership as is done by the Colorado Women's Bar Association is a good way to personalize a list of benefits.

Whatever your strategy, take some time to look at the member benefits other women's bar associations have listed. Have you overlooked some benefits you should be sharing with your membership?

NWLC Call Re Supreme Court Nomination

On Wednesday, February 1 at 4:00 pm EST, the National Women's Law Center is hosting a teleconference on the nomination of Judge Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court. For more information and to register, click here.

It's Time to Send in 2017 Membership Dues

Our membership year runs with the calendar year, which means that this is the right time to send in your organization's membership dues for 2017. Dues for 2017 have not increased, and are based on your organization's membership numbers. We rely on your membership dues and active participation in order to strengthen women's bar groups throughout North America. Click here to download a membership form to send in with your dues check. If you prefer to pay by debit or credit card, click here.

Conversations About Implicit Bias: Join us on February 3 in Miami

For those of you who will be attending the ABA midyear meeting in Miami, we hope you will spend part of your Friday with us in conversations about strategies for bar leaders of all generations to combat bias.

On Friday, February 3 we will meet from 11:45 to 1:15 at the Hilton Miami Downtown with the ABA Young Lawyers Division for lunch, a panel presentation and discussion entitled Cross-Generational Collaboration to Conquer Implicit Bias. The program will be moderated by Kathleen Nalty, a nationally-recognized authority on implicit bias and author of Going 'All-In' on Diversity and Inclusion: The Law Firm Leader's Playbook. She will be joined by Ann Jenrette-Thomas, Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer, Stinson Leonard Street, and Robin Wolpert, Minnesota State Bar Association President. Cost of the luncheon program is $50. To register, click here. After filling out the initial registration information, click on the link for Young Lawyers Division to access information about the luncheon.

After lunch, we will join with the National Conference of Bar Presidents and the ABA Young Lawyers Division in a Diversity Forum, from 2:40 - 3:40 pm at the Hyatt Regency Hotel, Monroe/Tuttle, Terrace Level. Ray Abadin, past president of the Florida Bar will lead a provocative and interactive discussion on the subject of implicit gender bias: What is it? Why does it matter? What can be done to approach this very real dynamic in a way that unifies rather than divides? Whether and how you respond will determine what your association will look like in years to come. Following the presentation, attendees are encouraged to participate in round-table discussions. There is no fee to attend, but you must be registered for the ABA midyear meeting.

2017 Women's Bar Leadership Summit:

Succeeding With Strength and Savvy

Plan to join us in New York this summer! We are delighted to announce that our 2017 Women's Bar Leadership Summit: Succeeding with Strength and Savvy will be hosted in the heart of New York City, the offices of Thomson Reuters at 3 Times Square. We begin with an evening reception on Thursday, August 10. On Friday, August 11 we'll spend the day discussing issues facing women attorneys, sharing best practices and brainstorming about solutions to problems common to women's bar associations.

In the morning we'll hear from two attorneys with extensive experience in the Obama White House: Kathryn Ruemmler, now a partner at Latham & Watkins, and Kimberley Harris, who serves as Executive Vice President and General Counsel for NBCUniversal.

Among the panel discussions will be one entitled "Mentoring, Networking, Coaching & Sponsorship," to be moderated by Martha (Meg) Gifford, past president of two women's bar associations. Meg has been developing and refining mentoring and networking programs for more than 25 years.

We will break for an inspiring luncheon where our annual Public Service and Outstanding Member Program Awards will be presented. Who should attend? Anyone seeking ideas to energize their women's bar associations, sections or committees, and anyone who wants to stay on top of the latest trends and issues facing women lawyers.

Thank you to 2017 Summit sponsors:
Gold: New York Women's Bar Association

Bronze: Cuba Cultural Travel, Sutliff & Stout.

If you'd like more information on sponsoring the Summit, click here.

Job Postings?

Those of you who are subscribed to our listserv ([email protected]) have from time to time seen job postings. These posts to the listserv tend to be for jobs with the federal government, law schools or nonprofits. We hope you will share these as you deem appropriate with your own membership. From time to time we also get announcements about jobs of more regional interest. These may be with private firms or state governments. If you are interested in receiving these announcements, please let us know, and we will forward them to you as they are received. If you aren't a member of the [email protected] listserv and would like to join, please email us with your preferred email address and women's bar affiliation.

GOOD Guys in Miami and Where You Are?

Need a program idea for including men in diversity and inclusion efforts in law firms and corporate legal departments? Take a look at NCWBA's GOOD Guys Toolkit.

A GOOD Guys program is scheduled for February 4 in Miami. For information about the Miami program, contact us.

Women Lawyers News

Remember to check Women Lawyers News for articles and unique tools to make practicing law just that much easier.

National Conference of Women's Bar Associations | [email protected] | http://www.ncwba.org
PO Box 82366
Portland, OR 97282

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