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May 10, 2014

Commission on Women News

The 24th Annual Margaret Brent Achievement Awards Luncheon

Please join the Commission on Women in the Profession for the 24th Annual Margaret Brent Women Lawyers of Achievement Awards Luncheon at the ABA Annual Meeting in Boston, Massachusetts, on Sunday, August 10, 2014, from 12:00pm–2:00pm at the Hynes Convention Center.

The ABA Commission on Women established the Margaret Brent Women Lawyers of Achievement Award in 1991 to recognize and celebrate the accomplishments of women lawyers. The award honors outstanding women lawyers who have achieved professional excellence in their area of specialty and have actively paved the way to success for other women lawyers. It is presented to five women lawyers who excel in a variety of professional settings and who personify excellence on the national, regional, or local level.

The 2014 Honorees:

Hon. Nancy Gertner, professor, Harvard Law School, and judge (retired), U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts, Cambridge, Massachusetts

Anastasia D. Kelly, co-managing partner (Americas), DLA Piper, Washington, D.C.

Allie B. Latimer, former general counsel, General Services Administration, Washington, D.C.

Hon. Kathryn Doi Todd, associate justice (retired), California Court of Appeal, Second District, Los Angeles, California

Marissa C. Wesely, of counsel, Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP, New York, New York

Pay tribute to the 2014 Margaret Brent honorees by purchasing a table (each table seats 10) and/or a special tribute in our commemorative awards program book. Make tributes to the honorees or other women lawyers who have touched your life or the lives of those around you. Reserved tables are $1,750 and full-page tributes are $1,000. Corporate sponsorship opportunities also are available. For more information, contact Barbara Leff at 312-988-5692, send an e-mail to Barbara.[email protected], or visit the Commission website at www.ambar.org/BrentAwards.

Learning to Lead: What Really Works for Women in Law

By Gindi Eckel Vincent; Mary B. Cranston, Advisor

One of the Commission on Women’s highest priorities throughout the years has been to provide women lawyers with information and tools for advancing into leadership positions in all areas of the law. Learning to Lead: What Really Works for Women in Law provides a concise road map of the latest collective wisdom on leadership and applies these principles to women lawyers. The book also features interviews with 11 women legal leaders who share their lessons learned and tips for success.

Summary of Contents

Chapter 1: Understanding the Lay of the Land—The Statistics on Working and Leading Women

Chapter 2: The Men, the Myths, the Legends—Understanding Myths and Stereotypes

Chapter 3: What We Know—What the Experts Tell Us About Women Leaders

Chapter 4: How Does It All Work—Applying What We Know to Women in Law

Chapter 5: Insight from the Top—Inter‑views with Legal Leaders

Chapter 6: View from the Bench—Interviews with the Judiciary

Chapter 7: Total Leadership Makeover—Transforming Real-Life Lawyers

Order at www.ShopABA.org or 800-285-2221. Product code: 4920048. Paperbound 6 × 9; 140 pp. Price: $19.95 ABA members; $24.95 nonmembers.

Available as eBook:

The Road to Independence: 101 Women’s Journeys to Starting Their Own Law Firms

The Road to Independence is a collection of 101 letters written by women who have founded law practices, whether as a solo, with other women, or with men. Focusing on the experiences, challenges, and opportunities of women-owned law firms, these women offer insights on becoming businesswomen, choosing a practice area true to their passion and professional character, and controlling their destinies. Theirs are stories of ambition in action.

Throughout this inspirational book, readers will find—in the words of the founders themselves—business-savvy tidbits and practical tips for starting and growing a successful law practice. Grouped chronologically according to when each writer started her woman-owned practice, this collection implicitly portrays the profession’s growth, the society’s evolution, the economy’s fortunes, and the periodic changes in business models of private practice. Explicitly, the letters unite to reflect not only the drive to practice law, but also the impact of cultural changes on women in private practice.

Order at www.ShopABA.org or 800-285-2221. Product code: 4920046. Paperbound 6 × 9; 425 pp. Product code: 4920046EBK. eBook.

Price, paperbound or ebook: $39.95 regular/ABA members; $35.95 Solo, Small Firm and General Practice Division members; $24.95 Law Student Division members.