New York, NY – The Consortium for Advancing Women Lawyers met at the midtown offices of Norton Rose Fulbright to discuss the latest research, initiatives, and programs to advance women in the profession.
“The Consortium provides a central platform to support a national movement by bringing together thought leaders from across the country who are leading initiatives to advance women in the legal profession,” said Center for Women in Law Executive Director Linda Bray Chanow. She continued, “To achieve any significant progress, we must begin to join forces in our efforts. By working together, pooling resources, and pushing towards a common goal, the leaders in the Consortium are better able to effect positive change for women lawyers on a national scale.”
Since 2009, the Center has convened eight meetings of the Consortium. At Consortium meetings, members discuss their individual organizations’ initiatives, brainstorm ideas for increasing the effectiveness of these initiatives, and identify areas for collaboration. Stephanie A. Scharf, founder of the NAWL Annual Surveyand other national surveys of women in the law, explains, “The Consortium provides a unique setting for generating ideas for innovative research and special projects about women in the law, and for receiving critical input on proposed cutting edge projects from national leaders with a wide range of perspectives.”
Organizations represented at the July meeting include the American Bar Association Commission on Women in the Profession, ABA Women Rainmakers Committee, Association of Law Firm Diversity Professionals, Association of the Bar of the City of New York, Boston College Center for Work & Family, Catalyst, Inc., Center for Women in Law, DirectWomen, Hispanic National Bar Association Latina Commission, Lawyer Development Strategies LLC, OnRamp Fellowship, Ms. JD, National Asian Pacific American Bar Association, National Association of Women Lawyers, National Association of Women Lawyers Foundation, National Bar Association Women Lawyers Division, National Conference of Women’s Bar Associations, Opt-In Project, Temple University Beasley School of Law, The Institute for Inclusion in the Legal Profession, The National Association of Minority and Women Owned Law Firms, Inc., University of Maryland School of Law Women Leadership & Equality Program, and the Women’s Bar Association of the District of Columbia.
Center Founding Member Catherine Lamboley, General Counsel, Shell Oil Co. (Ret.) shared her experience at the meeting, “It was an exhilarating experience to be in a room with these energized, committed and tenacious leaders who all represent different organizations but are working toward the same goal. By uniting these leaders and their efforts, the Center is fostering a coordinated movement that is accelerating change in the legal profession.”
The Center for Women in Law is the premier educational institution devoted to the success of the entire spectrum of women in law, from first-year law students to the most experienced and accomplished attorneys. It combines theory with practice, identifying and addressing the persistent issues facing individual women and the profession as a whole. The Center serves as a national resource to convene leaders, generate ideas, and lead change.