October 2017 Newsletter

In just a few short days the NCWBA is holding its annual board retreat in Boca Raton, Florida. I am looking forward to welcoming the board to my hometown. We will be hosting a reception with our local women's bar association, the South Palm Beach County chapter of the Florida Association for Women Lawyers. I am especially excited to have my local women's bar association meet our board members from across the country. Our agenda includes finalizing plans for our February meeting in Vancouver and planning for our 2018 Women's Bar Leadership Summit in Chicago. Both events are held in conjunction with the American Bar Association's midyear and annual meetings.

As a reminder, we have a liaison to the ABA's Commission on Women in the Profession. We thank Amanda Green Alexander, our immediate past president, for serving in this role and for attending their business meeting in Chicago earlier this month. We are also fortunate to have a seat in the ABA House of Delegates. We thank Marjorie O'Connell for her longstanding service to the NCWBA as our delegate.

During our board retreat, we look forward to discussing issues facing attorneys across our nation. If you have questions, concerns, or suggestions, please feel free to reach out to me personally. I would love to hear from our member organizations as to how we can better serve you. Thank you.

NCWBA Public Service and

Outstanding Member Program Awards

Each year, we recognize significant accomplishments of member associations in their work on behalf of the public and their own members. In giving awards to programs which we think are particularly effective and unique, we hope to inspire others to create similar programs, as well as to honor the good work of the volunteers.

At the Women's Bar Leadership Summit in New York this past August, the Public Service Award was presented to the Women's Bar Association of Massachusetts for their Pay Equity Project. An honorable mention in the same category was presented to the Women's Bar Association of the State of New York for their Voter Registration Project . This year's Outstanding Member Program Award was presented to the South Carolina Women Lawyers Association for their Building Resilience Project . Pictured below are representatives from the Women's Bar Association of Massachusetts, the Women's Bar Association of the State of New York, and the South Carolina Women Lawyers Association, flanked by NCWBA Awards Chairs Leigh-Ann Durant and Shiloh Theberge.

Nominations are now being accepted for the 2018 Public Service and Outstanding Member Program Awards, to be presented at the Women's Bar Leadership Summit in Chicago on Friday, August 3. For a nomination form, click here.

Free GOOD Guys Webinar December 1

GOOD Guys 101 is scheduled for Friday, December 1, 2017 at 12:00 noon, PST. Contact Teresa Beck to register.

Join us for this free one-hour webinar to learn all you need to know about the financial case for diversity and bias interrupters from Sheryl Axelrod, and get your organization ready for its own GOOD Guys program!

Benefits of GOOD Guys ("Guys Overcoming Obstacles to Diversity") programming:
*Engage men for the advancement of women and diverse professionals.
*Learn about the profitability of diversity & unlock its potential.
*Learn how to put on your own GOOD Guys program.
*Be part of the solution - become a diversity champion!

GOOD Guys is a program that spreads the message about why GOOD Guys are essential to the advancement of diverse professionals, which includes honoring GOOD Guys for their efforts, providing information about cutting-edge techniques to interrupt bias, and the latest on how diversity at the top makes more money for businesses. For more information about GOOD Guys, click here .

Hurricane Relief

Here's something you can do to help Puerto Rico! Do you know of law schools which might be able to host a transfer student?

The Puerto Rican Bar Association of Florida is using its Scholarship Fund, a 501(c)(3) tax deductible entity, to raise money for the incidental costs of the immediate relocation of Puerto Rican law students who were displaced in their studies as a result of Hurricane Maria. Through the group's Student Temporary Assistance and Relocation STAR Program , US schools have begun the process of helping to transition 51 University of Puerto Rico Law School students who were affected by the storm. Donations will be used to fill some of the gaps that other organizations or charities may not be able to fill, such as books, laptop computers, meal plans, clothing, travel, and housing. Checks for the Scholarship Fund can be mailed to 517 W. Colonial Drive, Orlando, FL 32806. You can also make your contribution securely via Paypal . For more information and the PayPal link, contact The Puerto Rican Bar Association of Florida.

Click here to see a brief video about the project.

The American Bar Association is a great source of information on up-to-date volunteer opportunities for those who want to offer legal assistance to storm victims. Click here for details.

Margaret Brent Nominations Due December 20

The ABA Commission on Women in the Profession is seeking nominations for the 2018 Margaret Brent Women Lawyers of Achievement Awards, which will be presented on Sunday, August 5 in Chicago during the ABA Annual Meeting. Click here for more details and a nomination form. r

Why Your Hard Work Alone Might Not Work

(Post contributed by WomenLawyersNews.com)

It's tempting to think that if we just work hard, people will notice, and we will be rewarded. Sadly, it rarely works that way.

First, decision-makers typically notice and remember much less than you think. That means, you're going to need to tell them how incredible you are. If you are not already in the habit of tracking your accomplishments, now is a good time to start. It is unlikely that you will remember all the amazing things you do on a daily basis, so regularly write them down in one place. You'll be in better shape for end-of-calendar-year reviews and you'll have a great habit started for next year.

Next, you may be putting your all into a project and knocking it out of the park, but perhaps you weren't given an appropriately challenging assignment. It's common for women to be held to a different standard - watch out for lowered expectations that can limit your success. In other words, if you are meeting expectations but your supervisor's expectations of you are lower than others, you will not grow or advance as quickly, even if you are doing an amazing job on your matters. Pay attention to what is expected of others and whether goals set for you are realistic.

Finally, be sure your hard work is allocated to the right tasks - those that will meet your goals and move you forward. For example, watch out for "team player" tasks that do not advance your career. This may be "office housework" (e.g., choosing the menu for the client event, booking the holiday party, getting the Administrative Assistants Day gifts) that tends to be handled by female professionals. It may also be more substantive but non-billable work that does not directly bring in clients, or "good citizen" work that is otherwise not directly related to the factors on which you are evaluated (e.g., preparing a client alert, leading an internal practice group/committee/meeting). This is the type of work that everyone has to pitch in to accomplish, but women tend to carry more of the burden. Think about how much time you spend on these tasks compared to others.

Save the Date--February 2 in Vancouver!

2018 ABA MIDYEAR MEETING IN VANCOUVER, BC

Luncheon Program on Friday, February 2, 2018

Noon to 1:30 p.m.

Vancouver Four Seasons Hotel, Seasons Ballroom

791 West Georgia Street, Vancouver, British Columbia

The Canadian Bar Association of British Columbia, Women Lawyers Forum and the National Conference of Women's Bar Associations are proud to present Challenges and Rewards for Women in Politics - Both Personal and Professional : A

A Conversation with the Honorable Ellen Rosenblum, Attorney General of the State of Oregon, and the Honorable Suzanne Anton, former Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Province of British Columbia.

Have you ever contemplated working on a political campaign or going into politics yourself? Lawyers from the United States will join with their Canadian counterparts to hear from two extraordinary women leaders about the rewards and challenges of working in the political arena, the skills needed to navigate the transition into politics, lessons learned from contested races, and the importance of women serving in high political office.

P lanning for this program is well underway, and details concerning registration and cost will be announced soon.

Are You on the NCWBA Listserv?

Are you a member of the NCWBA listserv? The listserv is an interactive resource for lawyer referrals and listings for unique jobs for lawyers and law faculty. It is a place to share questions about best practices for women's bar associations and announcements of possible interest to you and members of your associations. To join the NCWBA@yahoogroups.com list, send an email to Diane stating your name, interest in joining the list, and your affiliation with a women's bar association. You'll receive an automated invitation. When you click on "join mailing list," your list membership will be complete. Questions? Email us.

National Conference of Women's Bar Associations | info@ncwba.org | http://www.ncwba.org
PO Box 82366
Portland, OR 97282

Text | Link