Academy for the Advancement of Women in Law

This opening session will cover the reality of what we are confronting in AI trends and the world of Supreme Court updates. Changes in both arenas have upended so many precedents and foundational rights, impacting our world in a very scary way. Participants will discuss the need to make an impact as the world quickly shifts into new paradigms. Time permitting, a Q&A session will produce through lines that will frame discussions throughout the remainder of the program. 

Featuring Nishat Ruiter, General Counsel, TED Conferences LLC

• CLE Credit: .5 Diversity, Inclusion and Elimination of Bias and .5 Professional Practice Credits in NY; 1.0 Professional Practice Credit in NJ

This session will cover how women lawyers can develop their individual professional branding, marshal social media to promote their practice, effectively communicate their expertise to clients, and curate new business via marketing.

Featuring:

Deborah Farone, Farone Advisors

• CLE Credit: 1.0 professional practice credits for both NY & NJ

This panel will discuss the state of affairs of women in the legal profession with an emphasis on current data trends and relevant studies. Panelists will consider intersectional identities and how critical conversations do and do not address systemic inequality in the practice of law.

Featuring:

Paulette Brown, Locke Lord LLC (Tentative)

Michelle Browning Coughlin, Assistant Professor & Director of the Lunsford Academy at NKU Chase College of Law

Roberta D. Liebenberg, Fine, Kaplan & Black, R.P.C.

• CLE Credit: 1.0 Diversity, Inclusion and Elimination of Bias credits in NY; 1.0 Professional Practice Credit in NJ

This panel will feature a frank conversation between a female and a male managing partner of leading global law firms. They will discuss strategies for advancing women in their firms and the profession more broadly. The panel will explore whether female and male leaders view this issue and their roles in promoting underrepresented groups differently and how we can achieve better alignment and outcomes.

Featuring:

Richard Hans, DLA Piper

Sarah Solum, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer

Moderator: Maria-Leticia Ossa Daza, Paul Weiss

• CLE Credit: 1.0 Diversity, Inclusion and Elimination of Bias credits in NY; 1.0 Professional Practice Credit in NJ

Panelists will analyze ways in which law firms and other organizations can align their practices around well-being with their organizational culture and values. They will further discuss how individuals may advocate for their own well-being and implement practices that will benefit that of their colleagues and team members. Special attention will be paid to teasing out potential conflicts between personal well-being and ethical obligations.

Featuring:

Olga Gutman, Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP

Tiaunia N. Henry, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP

R. Javoyne Hicks, State Bar of Georgia Attorney Wellness Committee; KnotFree Living LLC

Emily Logan Stedman, Husch Blackwell

Moderator: Jordana Confino, Fordham University School of Law

• CLE Credit: .5 Skills and .5 Ethics credits in NY; 1.0 Professional Practice Credit in NJ

Experts in the field of male allyship will engage in an open discussion with program participants about inclusive leadership in the workplace. The experts will incorporate their own research with the personal experience of program participants to generate practical insights that can benefit daily workplace interactions and the general culture and performance of organizations.

Featuring:

Brad Johnson, US Naval Academy

David Smith, Johns Hopkins Carey Business School

Moderator: JeanMarie Campbell, Baker McKenzie

• CLE Credit: .5 Diversity, Inclusion and Elimination of Bias and .5 Professional Practice Credits in NY; 1.0 Professional Practice Credit in NJ

Panelists will provide insights into how their experiences in education, leadership, and lawyering affect their organizational vision and decision making. Participants will unpack themes that recurred throughout the program with a goal of articulating a holistic future for the profession that benefits lawyers and affiliated staff of all genders.

Featuring:

Michael Blackshear, Ryan Specialty

Cecilia Caldeira, Fordham University School of Law

• CLE Credit: .5 Diversity, Inclusion and Elimination of Bias and .5 Professional Practice Credits in NY; 1.0 Professional Practice Credit in NJ