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 | Annual Events and Programs |
| Leadership Opportunities |
| MWL Chapters Outside the Twin Cities Metro |
| Premier Networking and Marketing Opportunities |
| Mentorship |
| Professional Development |
| Community Involvement |
| Judicial Appointments, Judicial Elections and Voter Outreach on Judicial Independence |
| A Commitment to Diversity |
| Public Policy Advocacy |
| Specific Interest Groups |
| A subscription to MWL’s quarterly publication With Equal Right, the only statewide publication focusing on issues important to women in the legal profession. |
| Inclusion in the Member Directory and the Attorney Referral Resource Guide |
| And MUCH MORE! |
Above
all, MWL is a mission-driven association.
MWL exists to celebrate the many successes that women attorneys have
achieved, and to address the many challenges women attorneys still face. To that
end, MWL strives to secure the full and equal participation of women in the
legal profession and in a just society.
As observed by Helen Perry Grimwood, former board member of the National
Conference of Women’s Bar Associations:
“No longer are women excluded from the legal profession, but they still have not
gained equitable access to the social and business
networks that are crucial to
business development. No longer are law firms off-limits for women with
children, but satisfactory flexible
schedules are still the exception. No longer
are women categorically excluded from litigation practice, but good training
programs to help
them hone trial skills are still few and far between. No longer
are women's innate qualifications for the legal profession the subject of open
debate, but they still do not benefit from the presumption of competence that
their male counterparts frequently enjoy. And, it should
come as no surprise
that women lawyers are still underrepresented in many law firm partnerships, the
judiciary and law school faculties.
Indeed, there is still work to do.”
MWL invites its membership to add its ideas and expertise to our collective voice, as our membership works towards fulfilling its mission. We invite you to join us in this endeavor.
Annual Events and Programs
Since
1972, MWL has brought thousands of people together to listen to
presentations given by influential women from across the country. Through the
years, MWL has been privileged to host The Honorable Sandra Day O’Connor,
Janet Reno, Coretta Scott King, Cokie Roberts, the Rt. Honourable Kim Campbell,
Mara Laisson, Marion Wright Edelman, Gwen Ifel, Nadine Strossen, The Honorable
Ann Williams, Ambassador Carol Mosely Braun, and many, many others.
MWL membership includes registration discounts to major MWL events and other
sponsored programs and seminars.
Join us: The Rosalie Wahl Leadership Lecture will be held on the evening of Tuesday, October 23rd, 2007. MWL is pleased to welcome our keynote speaker Holly English, President of the National Association of Women Lawyers.
Leadership Opportunities
MWL provides a number of opportunities to gain valuable leadership skills by
serving on an MWL committee, taskforce
or the board of directors as you work with other MWL members to further
its mission. Simply attend a committee meeting, contact a co-chair or call the
MWL office for more information on getting involved. MWL also posts the
leadership opportunities in other organizations on the MWL website, keeping you
informed of opportunities to serve your community.
We encourage you to attend MWL’s quarterly Leadership Luncheons or the Rosalie
Wahl Leadership Lecture. These events will inspire you to take action and assume
a leadership role in MWL or in our larger community. In addition, MWL offers
you the opportunity to recognize exceptional women leaders within the legal
profession by nominating them for one of
MWL’s Annual Awards.
Participate in an MWL Chapter
In
addition to its activities in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area, MWL also has active
chapters in the St. Cloud area (Central
Chapter), the Duluth area (Northeastern Chapter), and the Mankato/New
Ulm area (South
Central Chapter). Each chapter holds regular meetings and conducts
activities and programs in its geographic region. All MWL members are invited to
participate.
MWL also welcomes interest in the formation of additional chapters in other
areas of the state.
Premier Networking & Marketing Opportunities
Consider MWL a powerful source of potential
clients and career advancement. MWL hosts several events each year designed to
provide its members with opportunities to network with MWL Members and leaders
from throughout the Minnesota legal community. Attend the annual Joint Dinner
of Professional Women’s Associations to mingle with women from a dozen
professional organizations. Market your skills and perform
valuable community service at the same time, by participating in
MWL’s Speaker’s Bureau. Attend
one of our many networking and social gatherings. Recent events include a
spring wine tasting and socials at The Local and Vincent in
Minneapolis.
Mentors, Mentors,
Mentors . . .
Through its
mentorship programs, MWL provides opportunities for its members to develop
strong mentoring relationships with one another. These relationships are a
powerful source for creating a professional network and sharing real-world
experience within the diverse legal profession. They also provide MWL members
with the opportunity to guide the development of student members through our
Attorney/Student mentorship program.
The Attorney to Attorney Mentor Program luncheons
offer members with an opportunity to develop an informal mentoring network with
other attorneys in a wide variety of practice areas and with a wide variety of
experience. Each fall, MWL members are invited to participate in the Student
to Attorney Mentor Program as either a mentor or a mentee.
Professional Development
Events and Programs
MWL periodically offers free and modestly priced CLE programs on topics of
importance to our members.
Recently, MWL hosted “When A
Crisis Calls: Dealing with the Media.” MWL
also partnered with the National Association of Women Lawyers to host “Take
Charge of Your
Career: Best Practices for Women Attorneys” and
“Backpack to Briefcase: A Seminar for Law Students.”
These and other seminars focus on
creating opportunities for career advancement for
women in all areas of practice, both traditional and non-traditional.
Reaching Beyond the Legal
Community
Each year, MWL
member participate in various social justice activities beyond the Minnesota
legal community. MWL continues to draw
attention to the issue of domestic violence
through its annual Holiday Benefit.
Each year, this event supports one urban and one rural
domestic violence program in Minnesota.
This fall, MWL partnered with Chrysalis to train attorneys
in providing pro bono services to victims
of domestic violence.
Our annual professional women’s clothing drive provides
professional attire to women transitioning into the work force.
MWL coordinates volunteers for various
aspects of the “Youth in Government” program.
Additionally, various statewide volunteer opportunities
are posted on the MWL website.
Judicial Elections, Judicial Appointments
AND
Voter Outreach on Judicial Independence
In 1972, one of the primary issues
that led to the formation of Minnesota Women Lawyers was an effort to get more
women appointed to the
Federal and State bench. Since then,
MWL has continued to take the lead on
judicial issues.
MWL educates voters about judicial
candidates, the role of the
judiciary, and judicial independence issues. MWL
screens candidates for judicial positions through both
appointment and contested elections. MWL
also encourages more women applicants to seek judicial appointment through its
“You Can Be
a Judge” seminars that have been held
throughout the state.
Diversity in Practice
For businesses and legal employers
that value diversity in all its forms, MWL serves as a resource for identifying
top-notch attorneys in all
legal practice areas.
Membership in MWL provides an external demonstration of your
organization’s commitment to diversity and gender
equity to your clients and members of
the legal community. MWL’s Attorney Referral Resource
Guide, distributed each January to
businesses, corporations and
non-profits throughout Minnesota, helps to connect the corporate world with our
members in partnerships that
reflect the diversity of the legal
community.
Public Policy Advocacy
MWL leverages the strength and power
of our collective voice on issues of common interest to our membership. As a
newly formed
committee, the MWL Public Policy
Advocacy Committee will consider and advocate on behalf of various public policy
issues that are
consistent with MWL’s mission.
Action may include legislative tracking on selected issues, providing testimony
at legislative hearings,
identifying cases in which MWL should
submit amicus briefs and facilitating the preparation of those briefs, drafting
letters to the editor on
various issues, and generally lending
its voice to the issues important to our membership.
Specific Interest Groups
MWL members have come together to
form several “specialized” groups focusing on topics of common interest. For
example: MWL’s Solo
Practitioner and Small Firm Attorney
Group meets monthly to discuss issues relevant to their practice, as well as
assess progress towards
their self-identified quarterly
goals. The MWL Professional Parents group also meets
monthly to focus on the celebrations and challenges
associated with juggling a family and
a career. The MWL Book Club meets every other month to
enjoy a meal together and discuss a
previously selected book.
All
MWL members are invited to participate in any of these groups. MWL also
welcomes ideas for forming other groups of interest to our
membership.
Even More Member
Benefits . . .
All MWL members receive a subscription to MWL’s
quarterly publication
With Equal Right, the only statewide publication focusing on
issues important to women in the legal profession. With Equal Right is
also a great marketing tool; consider advertising your practice or submitting an
article for publication. Between quarterly issues of With Equal Right,
members also receive MWL Happenings, an on-line newsletter that provides
a current calendar of events and updates on various projects and initiatives.
MWL publishes the MWL
Membership Directory in January of each year. This directory serves
as an invaluable marketing, networking and
practice development tool.
The MWL website is also a vast resource for our membership, providing information on current events, projects, contacts and legal links. With a website re-design in progress, MWL hopes to soon post job openings, provide on-line copies of With Equal Right and the MWL Membership Directory, host member forums, and much more.
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Click HERE to view recent research and statistics related to women in the legal profession.
If you would like more information on how involvement with MWL can benefit you and your employer, please contact MWL Executive Director Debra Pexa at 612/338-3205 or dpexa@mwlawyers.org.
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