Founded in 1917, the Women’s Bar Association of the District of Columbia is one of the oldest and largest voluntary bars in metropolitan Washington, DC. Today, as in 1917, we continue to pursue our mission of:
Maintaining the honor and integrity of the profession; promoting the administration of justice; advancing and protecting the interests of women lawyers; promoting their mutual improvement; and encouraging a spirit of friendship among our members.
In furtherance of our mission, the WBA has 25 Committees and Forums focused on 10 areas of law, every sector of employment, including Solo & Small Practice, Corporate Counsel, Government and Non-Profit, as well as a number of general interest groups such as Mentoring, Working Parents, Career Development, and Community Projects to name just a few. There is a place for you at the WBA. If you aren’t already a member, become one. This is going to be an exciting year!
This year, the WBA will begin to implement its three-year Strategic Plan. The goal areas of the Strategic Plan include:
• Leadership Development and Succession Planning
• Development and Fundraising
• Member Programming
• Initiative on Advancement and Retention of Women
• Strategic Planning
The WBA leadership will use the Strategic Plan as a guide and tool to ensure the continued growth, relevance, and stability of the organization. Our members can expect updates on the progress made under the plan.
Click here to read the WBA’s 2010-2013 Strategic Plan.
Further, we will continue the groundbreaking work of the WBA Initiative on Advancement and Retention of Women and our third stage which focuses on advancing women in-house counsel. This year we will take what we have learned in our recent survey, the March 2010 summit and our third report, “Navigating the Corporate Matrix: Advancing Women in Corporate Law Departments” which you can access here. In addition to our In-House Counsel Forum programming, we will sponsor 2 showcase luncheon programs featuring prominent women General Counsel and women in corporate leadership positions where we will discuss challenges to advancement, the relationship between women in-house counsel and women outside counsel, strategies for success and lessons learned from various career paths.
Also, the WBA will conduct research, analyze and address issues impacting women in the legal profession such as compensation and leadership issues at the partner level and the value challenge and billable hour discussion. We will do this through a series of published white papers that will not only be authoritative but also thought-provoking.
Finally, we will focus on increasing membership in a number of ways, including conducting programs at firms and organizations to introduce the WBA, its mission and the opportunities the WBA offers. I often say that the WBA’s strength is its membership. That membership is diverse and active and brings to this legal community an amazing breadth of programming that you can explore on this website. But we face big challenges and we have even bigger aspirations. So we need your help.
There is a place for you at the WBA. If you want to know how to get involved, contact me, any Board member or any committee/forum co-chair.
Join me and the rest of the WBA community in continuing the important work of this great organization!
Holly E. Loiseau
2010-2011 President
