Initiative on Advancement and Retention of Women

Initiative on Advancement and Retention of Women: Initiative 2.0: Creating a Path to Success in a Changing Economy (Phase IV)

This phase of the Initiative focused on the range of ways women can achieve success. The economic recession had a disparate impact on women lawyers. The challenges women face are compounded by the rapid transformations in the legal profession arising from the industry’s response to bearish economic conditions.

Initiative on Advancement and Retention of Women: Navigating the Corporate Matrix: Advancing Women in Corporate Law Departments (Phase III)

Announced in January 2010: The Navigating the Corporate Matrix program is the work of the WBA’s Task Force on Advancement and Retention of Women and In-House Counsel Committee, with advice and input from an Advisory Board of nationally recognized experts in the field and in-house counsel from a range of industries, who are committed to advancing women in-house counsel. This day-long summit will take place at American University Washington College of Law. Our goal is to have our community again place itself on the national map as forward-thinkers whose leaders have come together, listened to the experts present the latest objective research, shared best practices and frustrations, and undertaken a frank self-appraisal of how to move the ball forward in the continuing effort to improve retention of women attorneys and their advancement to the highest ranks of our profession.

Click here to download a copy of Navigating the Corporate Matrix: Advancing Women in Corporate Law Departments.

The Navigating the Corporate Matrix program is the work of the WBA’s Task Force on Advancement and Retention of Women and In-House Counsel Committee, with advice and input from an Advisory Board of nationally recognized experts in the field and in-house counsel from a range of industries, who are committed to advancing women in-house counsel. This day-long summit took place at the American University Washington College of Law. Our goal is to have our community again place itself on the national map as forward-thinkers whose leaders have come together, listened to the experts present the latest objective research, shared best practices and frustrations, and undertaken a frank self-appraisal of how to move the ball forward in the continuing effort to improve retention of women attorneys and their advancement to the highest ranks of our profession.

Phase III Speakers
Keynote Luncheon Speaker, Anastasia Kelly, former General Counsel of AIG, and MCI WorldCom
Elizabeth Abdoo, General Counsel, Host Hotels
Danielle Aguto, General Counsel, France Telecom North America
Christina Ayiotis, Deputy General Counsel, CSC
Amy Bess, Shareholder, Vedder Price
Linda Bray Chanow, Executive Director, Center for Women in the Law, University of Texas School of Law
Micki Chen, Deputy General Counsel, Verizon
Tricia Daniels, Partner, Forensic and Dispute Services, Deloitte Financial Advisory Services LLP
Dorian Denburg, Counsel, AT&T and NAWL Board President-Elect
Denise Esposito, General Counsel, Emergent BioSolutions
Jocelyn Fisher-Perkins, In-House (Former WBAF Board), AFL-CIO
Wanda Forrest, Managing Director, Huron Consulting Group
Mara Giorgio, Associate
Josephine Harriott, Miller & Chevalier
Tina Hsu, Counsel, Shulman, Rogers, Gandal, Pordy & Ecker, PA
Lori Knauer, Corporate Counsel, DuPont
Hyacinth Kucik, Vice President, Deputy General Counsel, Freddie Mac
Charisse Lillie, VP Community Investment, Comcast
Karen M. Lockwood, Founder and CEO, The Lockwood Group, LLC, WBA Past President
Lorelie S. Masters, Partner, Jenner & Block LLP, WBA Past President
Sonia Murphy, Senior Associate, Howrey, LLP
Ama Romaine, Counsel, Hilton
Joyce Slocum, General Counsel, NPR
Robert A. Stern, Senior Vice President and General Counsel, Sodexo

Phase III Advisory Board Members
Maureen Del Duca, Marriott International, Inc.
Dorian Denburg, AT&T
Mary  E. Kennard, American University
Ann R. Klee, General Electric Company
Lori Kettering Knauer, E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company
Nancy W. Newkirk, Major, Lindsey & Africa
Tracy Poole, Johnson & Johnson
Mayda Prego, Chevron Corporation
Veta Richardson, Minority Corporate Counsel Association
Wendy Conway Schmidt, Deloitte Financial Advisory Services LLP
Joyce D. Slocum, National Public Radio, Inc.
Brande Stellings, Catalyst Inc.
Robert Stern, Sodexo, Inc
Robyn Welter, Sodexo, Inc.

Phase III Working Group Members
Initiative Co-Chair: Monica Parham, Crowell & Moring LLP
Initiative Co-Chair: Holly Loiseau, Weil Gotshal & Manges
Working Group Chair: Sonia Murphy, Howrey, LLP
WBA President: Consuela Pinto
Alejandra Almonte, Weil Gotshal & Manges
Linda Chanow, Center for Women in Law, University of Texas School of Law
Jamellah Ellis, Verizon
Wanda Forrest, Huron Consulting Group
Judith Gheuens, Amgen
Josephine Harriott, Miller & Chevalier
Yolanda Hawkins Bautista, Howrey LLP
Mara Giorgio, Patton Boggs
Lexar Quamie, The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights
Ama Romaine, Hilton
Neeta Saran, Sun Microsystems, Inc.
Sherrese Smith, FCC
Laura Wilkinson, Weil Gotshal & Manges

Download the Report
Click here to download a copy of Navigating the Corporate Matrix: Advancing Women in Corporate Law Departments

Initiative on Advancement and Retention of Women: Creating Pathways to Success for All (Phase II)

Building on the success of its 2006 report, Creating Pathways to Success, the Women’s Bar Association of the District of Columbia’s (WBA) Initiative on Advancement and Retention of Women (Initiative) moved into its second phase with a focus on the dwindling number of women of color in law firms. In May 2008, the WBA issued its report, Creating Pathways to Success for All, detailing the findings of the WBA’s Diversity Summit (Summit), held on March 19, 2008, at historic Howard University Law School. The 2008 Report makes concrete recommendations for addressing the combined effects of gender and race that affect the success and advancement of our colleagues who are women attorneys of color.

The day-long Summit brought together more than 100 law-firm leaders, experts, lawyers, and law students to exchange ideas on issues affecting the recruitment, retention and promotion of women attorneys of color. The Summit challenged lawyers, law firms, law schools, and bar associations to lead the profession and the nation on inclusion through productive dialogue and discussion.

Creating Pathways to Success for All echoes many themes from the 2006 Initiative Report. These recurring themes underscore the need to implement changes that will stem attrition, foster inclusion, and help law firms and others to retain and promote women attorneys of color.

The 2008 Report not only surveys the literature and presents findings from our Summit and the work of our Diversity Committee, but also presents action-steps that all stakeholders with an interest in this issue – law-firm leaders, lawyers, clients, law schools, and bar associations – can do to address this issue and stem the attrition of women of color from our law firms.

Click here to download a copy of Creating Pathways to Success for All

Initiative on Advancement and Retention of Women: Creating Pathways to Success (Phase I)

In 2006, the Women’s Bar Association of the District of Columbia (WBA) launched its groundbreaking Initiative on Advancement and Retention of Women (Initiative). The Initiative focused on three questions:

  • What do DC firms and women lawyers perceive to be the stumbling blocks to their mutual success in moving more women farther faster?
  • What are DC firms doing already to keep and promote women?
  • And, can we use the answers to those two questions to discern new ideas and better ways to stem the departure of women from law practice?

Once a month, from January 6 through April 3, 2006, the WBA convened a four-hour conference on advancing women lawyers that drew firm leaders into a full and cooperative exchange with the experts and the women who attended. The results of this series of conferences are reported in Creating Pathways to Success (2006).

Click here to download a copy of Creating Pathways to Success.