Every member organization of the National Conference of Women's Bar Associations is invited to submit a nomination for someone representing their organization to join the NCWBA board for a two-year term beginning in August 2018. A nominating committee extends invitations for a slate to be voted on at the annual meeting in August. Nominees should be passionate about the value of women's bar associations, sections and interest groups and want to work collaboratively to strengthen them. Board members are expected to attend three in-person meetings each year. Two are held in conjunction with the ABA midyear and annual meetings. One is a fall board retreat. In addition, board members participate in two committees, which typically meet by phone. For more information about board service, click here, or contact us.

February 2018 Board Meeting in Vancouver, BC

Ms. JD is hosting their 10th Annual Conference on Women in Law on March 9 at the University of California, Los Angeles, School of Law. An honors reception on March 8 will kick off the conference. For more information, including the complete agenda, click here. 

Do Women's Networking Events Move the Needle on Equality? This was the question posed in a recent Harvard Business Review article. The answer was a resounding "yes." Read the article here, then plan to be in Chicago for the annual Women's Bar Leadership Summit. This year's theme is Sparking a "Change" Reaction. On Thursday afternoon, August 2, we will gather at Chicago-Kent College of Law for a GOOD Guys presentation, followed by a reception and screening of the film Dream, Girl. On Friday, August 3, we will have a full day of programs and opportunities to connect with other women's bar leaders at the beautiful offices of Jenner & Block. Our morning keynote speaker will be Dr. Arin Reeves, of Nextions, whose understanding of sometimes complex data and trends in the legal profession always leads us to new insights. Our Awards Luncheon this year will be at the legendary Chicago restaurant, Harry Caray's. In addition to honoring the inspirational work of our award-winning member organizations, we will hear from Fatima Goss Graves, President and CEO of the National Women's Law Center. We'll have more details soon!

A small block of rooms has been reserved for us at the Westin Chicago River North at the conference rate of $239 per night, plus tax. Use this link to book, with availability on a first-come, first-served basis.

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 2018. Dues for 2018 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 . Questions? Ask us.

If you are reading this newsletter, you probably agree that networking is essential. Having a solid network can lead to finding the right job and trusted mentors, getting support in good times and bad, and making lifelong friends. Virtually every women's bar group lists as a benefit of membership the networking opportunities they provide. But for many members or potential members, merely hosting a variety of events and assuming that their value will be evident just isn't enough. From time to time, you need to spell out why networking is important and how it can be done even by those who count themselves as introverts. Annually, the Mobile Bar Association of Women Lawyers has an event explicitly titled  " Networking Event for Professional Women." The featured speaker's topic this past October was the importance of women's networking events. The home page of Georgia Association for Women Lawyers contains testimonials which give very specific information about the personal and professional networking value of membership.

Even if you are explicit about the value of networking, you still need to offer support to your members who say "I hate networking." Most people who say that they hate networking are really saying that they think it means "being phony" or "using people" and, understandably, they don't want any part of that. In the words of Ellen Ostrow, " Networking is primarily about generosity and thoughtfulness. You create relationships and sustain them unselfishly, at the same time hoping for reciprocity." Once networking is understood as forming and maintaining relationships, it is seen as something much more positive. In addition to those who don't consider networking to be about relationship building, there are also those who are so impatient for results that they think the entire concept is useless. "I went to one of those women lawyers lunches and didn't meet anyone!" Give your members a blueprint for networking. Here's an article about how a new lawyer found her dream job through networking. For more established lawyers, " inbound networking" may be a better approach. Last fall, Oregon Women Lawyers held a one-hour call-in program on Introvert Survival Strategies, featuring past NCWBA president Sarah Crooks, a self-identified introvert. However you do it, keep hosting networking events, let your members know why networking is so important and help them to be successful networkers!