Nothing screams resilience louder than optimism. For women attorneys, in particular, the path to partner and the uppermost echelons of the profession is paved with obstacles that too often send the most capable, high-achieving lawyers packing. Reality is that no matter where you sit in your career, attorneys at all levels can benefit from resilience training to equip them with the tools and confidence to be at the top of their game.

 

So what does it means to be resilient? Real resilience is much deeper than the clinical definition of "bouncing back" offered by the American Psychology Association. Real resilience requires that you reflect on a challenge or situation and learn to integrate the lessons and losses. You have to cultivate vigilant self-awareness in order to ensure that resilience isn't some kneejerk reaction but an intentional, sustainable mindset.

 

Make no mistake: you needn't be born resilient or raised with a knowing sense of your strengths and weaknesses. These are learned skills that can be developed at any time.

 

As a resilience trainer and coach, I take a lot of pride in working with women attorneys to help them gain the confidence to know what they want and to go for it.

 

What's standing in the way of what you want?

 

Here are three things you can do to boost your resilience today:

Learn more about Resilient Leadership for Women Attorneys and Nancy Sharp here    NCWBA members receive 20% off. (Must email [email protected] for eligibility.)

Serving on the NCWBA Board of Directors has been one of the highlights of my life. Since 2015, I have been a Director, Vice President for Fundraising and Strategic Partnerships, and now Vice President for Finance. I chaired NCWBA's very successful Women's Bar Leadership Summit in New York City in 2017 , and I have served on numerous NCWBA Committees. Within NCWBA, I work with incredibly smart, savvy attorneys on projects that have a powerful and positive impact.

 

My belief in service has been ingrained since childhood. In an era when few women worked outside the home, one of my grandmothers was a registered nurse. My other grandmother was a reporter for the Boston Globe (among other papers), and in 1947 she saved the birthplace of Abigail Adams (Revolutionary War figure, wife of the second U.S. President, and mother of the sixth U.S. President) from being torn down for a housing development. Growing up in a Navy family, my siblings and I also learned from our dad's service, including during long stretches when he was far from home. We moved 19 times before I was 21, yet my mom supported and often ran charities, and at every duty station she made sure her children were active in supporting our communities.

 

The work of NCWBA and its member organizations is also a form of service. We mentor, promote, and support women attorneys and law students, and we create innovative programs that make a difference. Our joint mission is to ensure that women and persons of every background have equal opportunities in the legal profession, and we develop tools to help member organizations ensure that the courts and the profession promote the fair and equal administration of justice.

 

The impacts of our organizations are legion, and two examples come to mind. While I served on the NCWBA Membership Committee, I remember speaking with attorney Sandra Kinney, who had recently returned to working full-time as an attorney after becoming a mom, taking a break, and working part-time. There was no women's bar in her state, but she started holding lunch meetings with attorneys in her community. Within a few years she and like-minded women, with the support of NCWBA, established West Virginia Women Attorneys (WVWA) with Sandra as its first President. WVWA now has a robust presence throughout West Virginia, and WVWA member Jami Hall Cooper serves on the NCWBA Board!

 

Another example is the Women's Bar Association of the State of New York (WBASNY) which is a founding member of NCWBA and is very active with the United Nations. WBASNY often hosts women's groups from various countries to exchange ideas and initiatives. Several years ago, we met with a delegation of Japanese women attorneys, who discussed the very strict hierarchical and controlled environment in Japan that continues to hold back women in law and business. Among other ideas, we lauded NCWBA's GOOD Guys initiative, which provides tools and techniques to encourage men to support women and incorporates proven techniques both women and men can use to address bias. Last week, I was honored to be a speaker at a WBASNY meeting with a delegation of attorneys from Switzerland. While their environment is not as challenging as in Japan, they too raised issues concerning equal opportunities, ways to challenge discrimination, as well as the need to actively combat domestic violence and address other societal challenges. The vibrant discussion was compelling, and we owe thanks to the program organizers: WBASNY International Law Committee Co-Chairs Fay Parris and Maria Cortese and the President of Women Lawyers Switzerland, Maya Dougard. These types of initiatives exemplify the substantive impact and importance of women's bar groups.

 

I have worked hard and been incredibly fortunate in my career as a litigator, appellate attorney, and corporate executive. I have also served as President of the New York Women's Bar Association, as an Officer and Committee Chair of WBASNY, and now as a member of the NCWBA Board. Over the years, I met many of my closest friends through the women's bar. NCWBA and its members make a huge difference every day - not only with respect to the status of women in the profession, but for many societal issues and for each of us personally. I hope you too will share your leadership and your experiences, so we can continue that devotion to service and equality.

 

For details concerning Elizabeth Bryson's legal career and women's bar service, click here.

Our membership year runs with the calendar year, so now is just the right time to renew your group's membership for 2020. Dues for 2020 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. This year for the first time, women's law student associations are invited to join for free. For more information on renewals or how to join, click here.

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