April 2019 NCWBA Newsletter

We all know connections matter and that is why we belong and serve in women bar associations. I had a wonderful opportunity to represent NCWBA at the Austin Women's Power Summit this month where I got to participate, watch and reflect on the interweaving of connections women have with each other. It was also the 10th anniversary year for the summit and it is the 30th anniversary year for my own Kansas Women Attorneys Association. which caused me to watch these connections occurring on a much deeper level and see firsthand that the "degrees of separation" are still amazingly few. As you serve, inventory those connections not just for networking purposes but for genuine purpose and impact. There is so much more we could be doing with our connections.

PROGRAM OFFERING

You and your members are invited to a free half-hour teleconference with Kimberly Rice, President and Chief Strategist of KLA Marketing Associates, on May 22 entitled Rainmaking While Female. And on June 10, Maddy Martin of Smith.ai will present Mentoring Millennials. (See more details about both free half-hour teleconferences below.)

TIP FOR YOUR ORGANIZATION

Take the time to pull some old rosters and see if there is an opportunity to invite women to rejoin your organization. This may be the easiest group to solicit since they once knew the value of your organization and would likely appreciate those connections again.

TIPS FOR YOU

Choose a person a week or a couple people each month to send notes of appreciation. Buy a couple of packs of blank greeting cards and some fun decorative stamps - I love having sheets of Wonder Woman stamps close by. Always keep a couple in your purse as well. There is truly nothing quite so powerful as the handwritten note to stay connected.

CHALLENGE

As your organizations celebrate anniversaries, share a picture with NCWBA.

Free 30-Minute Teleconferences

for You and Your Members

Rainmaking While Female (May 22)

and

Mentoring Millennials ( June 10)

May 22: What are the rainmaking essentials that every woman lawyer must know? Adding to your knowledge of marketing techniques will enhance your success at every stage of your legal career. Join us by phone on Wednesday, May 22 at 4:00 pm EDT for a fast-paced, 30-minute teleconference with Kimberly Rice, President and Chief Marketing Strategist of KLA Marketing Associates. This program is designed as a member benefit that you may choose to pass along to your own members. You may pass along the registration link found here, or contact us for more personalized assistance.

June 10: Mentoring is at risk of becoming a lost art. At a time when Facebook groups, Slack channels, and alternative means of networking, guidance, and education are on the rise, it's critical to remain relevant to the newest generation of female attorneys, not only to provide support and much-needed resources to budding practitioners, but also to develop future female leaders who will pass the torch to the next generation.

Maddy Martin of Smith.ai will suggest practical tips to enhance your mentorship skills. Click here for a registration link, which you may pass along to others.

Join us in San Francisco August 8-9

Plan now to attend the 2019 Women's Bar Leadership Summit: Accelerating the "Change" Reaction. Share ideas with other leaders of women's bar associations, hear about issues of greatest concern to women in the legal profession, all while enjoying plenty of opportunities for networking with old and new friends in the City by the Bay. Click here for more information. The registration fee will once again be $250 thanks to our generous sponsors. For sponsorship opportunities, which includes registration click here for more information. We'll have more program details and registration links soon!

The Colorado Women's Bar Association Advocates for Equal Pay Legislation

by Gina Glockner

The Colorado Women's Bar Association ("CWBA") works through its lobbyists at the State Capitol to advocate, promote, and protect the interests of women and children. Pay equity is a legacy issue of the organization. Over the past few years, the CWBA's members have been hard at work drafting, negotiating, and advocating for the passage of legislation aimed at closing the gender pay gap - and success may finally be in sight!

SB 19-085, the Colorado Equal Pay for Equal Work Act, is working its way through the Colorado General Assembly, having successfully passed out of the Senate and the House Committee on Business Affairs and Labor. It's currently on its way to the House Appropriations Committee before a full vote on the House floor and then back to the Senate for concurrence. The legislation is designed to close the loopholes in the federal Equal Pay Act and takes significant steps towards closing the pay equity gap in Colorado.

Among other things, SB 19-085 requires that employers include salary pay range in each posting for a job opening to combat the lack of transparency that has disadvantaged female applicants. Further, SB 19-085 prohibits employers from seeking the salary history of prospective employees, thereby breaking the cycle that has allowed women to remain underpaid in comparison to their male counterparts. Employers are required to show that any pay differential arises from one of a list of business-related criteria defined in the statute and to keep records related to employee pay. The legislation's provisions are designed to provide a reasonable solution to the real and enduring problem of pay inequity in Colorado.

Follow the CWBA's Public Policy Committee on equal pay here.

For bill tracking, click here.

Well-Being Template for Legal Employers

The Policy Committee of the ABA Commission on Lawyer Assistance Programs and the ABA Working Group to Advance Well-Being in the Legal Profession have developed a free, downloadable template to be used by law firms as they put into place appropriate methods for responding to issues of substance use disorder, mental health disorder, or cognitive impairment. Download the Well-Being Template for Legal Employers here.

Exploring the Shield of Silence

By Lauren Stiller Rikleen

Having spent months interviewing women about sexual harassment and other negative behaviors in the workplace for my new book, The Shield of Silence: How Power Perpetuates a Culture of Harassment and Bullying in the Workplace , I am struck by a frequent theme: women feeling betrayed after sharing their story with other women, including those with a formal role in HR or a senior administrative position. They described being let down by the women from whom they sought help, only to find themselves caught up in an investigation that felt more like an inquisition.

Invariably, these stories did not end well, even as the circumstances differed. Some described being summoned to meetings where they were forced to confront their harasser. Others described retaliation such as being shunned, or receiving their first bad performance review followed by a decline in work assignments and new opportunities.

Often, the senior women they initially trusted made it clear that their loyalties were to the institution, and that efforts to report a senior colleague were viewed as an attack on the firm's or company's reputation. Victims may have been seeking a bulwark against misconduct, but they overlooked the possibility that a woman who has struggled to reach higher levels of an organization through personal sacrifice and without her own peer support may feel more obligated to defend the institution in which she worked so hard to advance.

For women who seek their support, however, this response can feel like a second victimization. They expect a more sympathetic - indeed, even a more protective - reaction, and are deeply disappointed when that does not happen.

But is it fair to expect a more sympathetic response from a woman when misconduct is alleged to have occurred in the workplace? Actually, both men and women should offer a supportive response that continues throughout the process. Women who have reached senior positions have likely sacrificed for their achievements, and may themselves have experienced misconduct that they felt forced to keep shrouded in silence. But turning away from their younger colleagues' pain is not a solution, and sends all the wrong messages.

Such unsympathetic behavior signals to current and future victims that the workplace lacks safe spaces to discuss concerns and find guidance. It also provides protection to perpetrators who feel empowered to deflect blame by claiming that other women are supportive of them.

There is no conflict between fulfilling one's responsibilities to a fair process and offering a kind and supportive ear to colleagues. Nor does it display weakness to side with the vulnerable over the powerful.

It takes a particular strength to stand up for the bullied or the harassed. And we know that women in the workplace who have reached positions of power have that strength in abundance.

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Lauren Stiller Rikleen, president of the Rikleen Institute for Strategic Leadership , provides speaking, training, and consulting services on a variety of workplace culture issues. Her upcoming book is The Shield of Silence: How Power Perpetuates a Culture of Harassment and Bullying in the Workplace (ABA, May 2019). For information on ordering the book through the ABA, click here.

2020: 19th Amendment Centennial

In anticipation of the one hundredth anniversary of the passing of the 19th Amendment to the US Constitution, giving women the right to vote, the ABA is launching a clearinghouse so that you may share your organization's plans and find helpful resources. Click here for a link to the portal.

Our Listserve: WomenBarLeaders_ncwba.org

Our interactive listserve for those active in women's bar groups is WomenBarLeaders_ncwba.org. This is a "low-traffic" list where you can ask for lawyer referrals, publicize information of national interest to women lawyers or learn about job postings. If you have questions, concerns, want to be added to the group, taken off the listserve or want to subscribe using a different email address, please contact us .

National Conference of Women's Bar Associations | [email protected] | http://www.ncwba.org

PO Box 82366

Portland, OR 97282

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