December 2019 Monthly Update 

  • Take advantage of early-bird rates for the 2020 NAWJ Midyear Conference
  • AmazonSmile | Support NAWJ this holiday season
  • American Bar Association
  • ABA 2020 Spirit of Excellence | NAWJ Lifetime member, Presiding Judge Lora J. Livingston, to be honored during 2020 ABA Midyear Meeting by Commission on Racial and Ethnic Diversity in the Profession
  • ABA Commission on Women | Nomination process open for the Margaret Brent Awards
  • IAWJ Biennial Conference | Tours in Australia and New Zealand
  • NAWJ office closed December 24, 2019 to January 1, 2020
  • Upcoming Events
  • Send us YOUR news to appear in NAWJ's next Monthly Update
MARCH 11-13 | HOTEL MONTELONE | NEW ORLEANS

Click here to register online
SCHEDULE AT A GLANCE

Wednesday, March 11

12:00 pm - 4:00pm     NAWJ Board of Directors Meeting
5:30 pm - 7:00pm     Welcome Reception
 
Thursday, March 12
9:00 am - 10:15 am    Welcome & Networking Breakfast
10:45 am - 5:00 pm   Education Session (CLE) & Luncheon Plenary
 
FRIDAY, MARCH 13
 
8:30 am - 9:00 am      Grab n’ Go Breakfast
9:45 am - 10:15 am   Education Session (CLE)
 
REGISTRATION | EARLY BIRD DEADLINE JANUARY 22

Take advantage of the early-bird rate of $375 for members and $475 members. Rates will increase by $50 on February 24.

Click HERE to register online.

CANCELLATION POLICY
Registrants may cancel up through March 2, 2020. All cancellations are subject to a $50 processing fee. Requests for cancellation after March 2, 2020 will not receive a refund. All third-party payments are subject to the same policy.


HOUSING | RESERVE BY FEBRUARY 24

HOTEL MONTELEONE NEW ORLEANS | $199/night, plus state and local taxes
214 Royal Street, New Orleans, LA 70130

Reserve rooms online HERE Or, call (504) 523-3341 .
As you begin your holiday shopping, expand your purchase power to support NAWJ through  Amazon Smile.
        
AmazonSmile is Amazon’s philanthropic arm. It automatically donates an amount equal to 0.5% of your purchase price to your charity of choice. All you have to do is visit  Smile.Amazon.com and type NAWJ in the box labeled Pick your own charitable organization
 
You shop. Amazon gives.
 
Whenever you shop on Amazon, start on the  AmazonSmile page.   NAWJ will appear directly under the search box, so you know while you are shopping, and gift giving, your purchases also support NAWJ. Your account information, lists, and prime membership will all apply as usual.
 
Every time you shop on  AmazonSmile , you are sharing your generosity with those who are special to you, and empowering NAWJ to provide cutting-edge judicial education and inspiring programs like the award-winning Color of Justice.
 
Please remember NAWJ during your holiday shopping and throughout the year by using  AmazonSmile , and ask your friends and colleagues to do the same!
TEXAS CIVIL DISTRICT COURT PRESIDING JUDGE LORA J. LIVINGSTON RECOGNIZED AS 2020 SPIRIT OF EXCELLENCE HONOREE BY ABA COMMISSION ON RACIAL AND ETHNIC DIVERSITY IN THE PROFESSION
NAWJ Lifetime member, Hon. Lora J. Livingston, Presiding Judge of the 261st Civil District Court in Travis County, TX, has been honored by the American Bar Association’s Commission on Racial and Ethnic Diversity in the Profession as a 2020 Spirit Honoree. Her award presentation will take place Saturday, February 15th at the Spirit of Excellence Awards Luncheon, part of the ABA’s 2020 Midyear Meeting events at the JW Marriott in Austin, TX. View the 2020 Spirit of Excellence Awards guide here .
 
The State Bar of Texas lauded Judge Livingston as “a role model for many lawyers,” long active in local, state, and national bar association activities, leading initiatives improving access to justice and increasing diversity in the practice of law. Judge Livingston was a Reginald Heber Smith Community Lawyer Fellow with the Legal Aid Society of Central Texas, and later a partner in Livingston & Parr, before being appointed an associate judge in 1995. She was elected to the 261 st Court in 1998, and was the first African American woman District Court Judge in Travis County. Judge Livingston was instrumental in the creation and development of the Austin Bar Association’s Diversity Fellowship Program, which provides first-year law students of diverse backgrounds internship opportunities with law firms, government agencies, and judicial offices.
 
Judge Livingston is an active member in NAWJ District 11 (AR, OK, TX), serving as a member of the 2018 Annual Conference Planning Committee. 
ABA COMMISSION ON WOMEN IN THE PROFESSION
2020 MARGARET BRENT AWARDS NOMINATIONS PERIOD IS OPEN
 DEADLINE: JANUARY 24
The ABA Commission on Women in the Profession is now accepting nominations for the 30th Annual Margaret Brent Women Lawyers of Achievement Award. The award was established in 1991 to recognize and celebrate the accomplishments of women lawyers. Each year, this award honors up to five outstanding women lawyers who have achieved professional excellence within their area of specialty and have actively paved the way to success for other women lawyers. These women demonstrate excellence in a variety of professional settings and personify excellence on either the national, regional, or local level.

The 2020 awards will be presented at the ABA Annual Meeting in Chicago, IL in August 2020.

Criteria:
  • The individual achieved professional excellence in her field AND
  • Influenced other women to pursue legal careers, OR
  • Opened doors for women lawyers in a variety of job settings that historically were closed to them, OR
  • Advanced opportunities for women within a practice area or segment of the profession.
  • Nominees may be ABA members or nonmembers.
  • Sitting members of the ABA Commission on Women in the Profession may not be nominated.

Information about submission and requirements may be found here . Submission deadline:  January 24th, 2020 at 5:00 pm CST.

GOING TO IAWJ’S BIENNIAL NEXT YEAR? JOIN EXCURSION TOURS IN AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND
On behalf of NAWJ’s Senior/Retired Judges Committee, Judge Kitty Schild of El Paso, Texas is organizing tours to Australia and New Zealand around IAWJ’s Biennial, which takes place May 7-10, 2020. Tourists may attend one or both. “I know that I’m not going that far without seeing both beautiful countries,” says Judge Schild. If you are interested, please contact her and she will send you details on information she has gathered. Email: kschild@elp.rr.com , or call (915) 630-4788. You may also text her. The Senior/Retired Judges Committee hopes to see everybody in Auckland. 
Take a moment and send us your news and happenings to share with your fellow members in the next Monthly Update. Email your news and activities to Lavinia Cousin .
 
March 11-13 | 2020 NAWJ Midyear Conference in New Orleans, LA.

March 25 | Maryland Chapter hosts Annual Irma S. Raker Dinner in Annapolis at the Government House.

April 3-4 | District 6 Mindfulness and Self Care Retreat at the Buckhorn Inn in Gatlinburg, TN.

April 11 | Maryland Women Moving Forward Conference: A Collaborative Reentry Program for Women at the Maryland Correctional Institute for Women in Jessup.

May 7-10 | IAWJ 15th Biennial Conference: “Celebrating Diversity” hosted by the New Zealand Association of Women Judges in Auckland, Aotearoa, New Zealand.

October 10 | Color of Justice Program at Southwestern Law School in Los Angeles, CA. Chaired by Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Tamara Hall.