Webinars

Free Webinar Discussion Series

The NCWBA presents webinars on an ongoing basis featuring a wide variety of panelists impacting our society in major ways.

The Solo Sessions: I’ve Set Up a New Firm. Now What?
Thursday, April 28, 2022, 1:30-2:30 pm ET
Register here

We know that the legal profession is experiencing a real shakeup. Have you recently found yourself wondering, “How can I make it so I don’t have to go back to the office?” Know a friend or old classmate who is also thinking about hanging their own shingle? In a 2021 ALPS Insurance survey of women attorneys, more than one third of women reported that they are either “dissatisfied” or “very dissatisfied” with their work/life balance. In the April 28 session, you’ll get a checklist of ethics and risk management best practices your firm should implement, affordable cybersecurity safeguards, and information about practice management tips and cloud-based tools.

Reflect and Reconnect
December 7, 2021
Register here

Please join us as we reflect on the past year, and reconnect with fellow women attorneys as we head into a new year. Bar leaders will share their reflections and goals for reconnecting in the new year and you will be invited to share your thoughts during our interactive networking session.

Bring a cup of tea or coffee to enjoy. To register, click here.

If you have any questions regarding this program or any of other webinars, please feel free to reach out to our Executive Director, Christina Simpson at [email protected] or our Vice President of Membership, Lindsey Savage, at [email protected]com.

Quarterly Membership Meetings
October 12 & 13, 2021

Please also see below for some of our past events, some of which have been recorded. If you are interested in viewing a past program, please email [email protected]

What It’s REALLY Like to Practice Law As A Woman (TM)

Best Practices for Non-Profit Leaders – Overview of Robert’s Rules of Order & Conducting Meetings

NCWBA’s Advocacy Series: Participating in Amicus Briefs/p>

NCWBA June Quarterly Networking Meetings

Best Practices for Non-Profit Leaders – Overview of Robert’s Rules of Order & Conducting Meetings

The Pandemic’s Impact on Women: Solutions for Supporting Women in the Workplace

The burdens of the pandemic have undoubtedly impacted everyone’s lives. But women, particularly working mothers and women of color, have experienced some of the most impactful adversities. Join Emily Litzinger and Cyra Choudhury for a webinar where they will explore this national emergency and offer solutions to curb the negative impact and work towards a more equitable workplace.

Please join us on January 25, 2021 from 1:00pm to 2:00pm EST for a free 1 hour webinar on Best Practices for Non-Profit Boards of Directors — Roles & Responsibilities. Topics include “Top 10 Board Member Responsibilities,” the importance of fiduciary duties, financial oversight, and more. Participants will leave the session having gained a better understanding of their responsibilities and the obligations of serving on the Board of their Women’s Bar or other non-profits. Our featured speaker is Sheila M. Willis, Past President, South Carolina Women’s Bar Association and Associate with Fisher & Phillips, LLP. Click here to reserve your spot.

SPACE IS LIMITED, so RSVP as soon as possible, and no later than Monday, December 14, 2020.

As noted in the above event announcement, to participate in this free wine tasting most fully, attendees should consider purchasing the wines recommended by our speaker Ralph Kridner for this tasting, which should be readily available in most locations across the country. His suggestions are:

Red: La Crema Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir(2018) [alternative: Oyster Bay Pinot Noir (2018)]
White: Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc (2020) [alternative Robert Mondavi Fume Blanc (2016)]

(If these are not available, participants may of course make their own choices.)

Although we will not be tasting a sparkling wine during this event, Mr. Kridner will briefly discuss sparkling alternatives during our program.

>NCWBA also thanks our event sponsor, the law firm of Smith, Gambrell & Russell, LLPfor their generous underwriting of this event.

Please join us on November 19, 2020 from 1:00 to 2:00 pm EST for this free 1- hour program, where we will discuss how to use virtual platform and technology to connect and engage with clients, colleagues, and fellow bar association members. These tools and skills are vital to building and maintaining professional relationships and networks.

We will have a panel discussion, followed by breakout sessions where participants can ask individual questions. You can register here.

Moderator: Elizabeth A. Bryson, Esq., Vice President, NCWBA

Panelists:

Christina Simpson, Esq., Principal Attorney, The Law Office of Christina Simpson, Esq.; Executive Director, NCWBA
Lindsey B. W. Savage, Esq., Of Counsel, SRD Legal Group PLLC; Director and Treasurer, NCWBA; Co-Chair, NCWBA Women’s Bar Leadership Summit
Erica Peterson, Founder & CEO, Digital Project Matters; Digital Consultant, Ms. JD

WITHOUT A WHISPER:

The NYWBA Domestic Violence Committee and the NCWBA presented a film screening of “Without A Whisper” a documentary about the untold story of the profound influence of Indigenous women on the beginning of women’s rights movements in the United States. The film was followed by an insightful and memorable discussion with the stars of the film Dr. Sally Roesch Wagner and Mohawk Bear Clan Mother, Louise Herne.

STILL BROKEN: Sexual Harassment and Misconduct in the Legal Profession

With the #MeToo Movement, the issue of sexual harassment and related misconduct in workplaces has exploded into societal consciousness. What about the legal profession, where lawyers are expected to know the law and comply with it? A new survey answers this question, and disturbingly it demonstrates that the same misconduct occurs regularly in legal settings all across the country.

Please join us ~ and invite your members ~ to our free webinar on Tuesday, October 20. The survey leaders at Women Lawyers on Guard will discuss the results of this important nationwide survey. The findings are compelling and deeply troubling. It is clear the profession needs to find new ways to address this persistent problem. See our flyer below for speaker information, and click here to register. Still Broken, the report of the nationwide survey can be downloaded here, and click here for a link to an ABA Journal article about the survey. We also welcome your organizations’ ideas for combating sexual misconduct in the profession.

Leading Beyond the Discomfort: How to Lead Through the Discomfort That comes From Discussing Race Relations and Racism

Featured speakers, Robin D’Angelo, author of White Fragility and Regina Petty, Chief Diversity Officer of Fisher Phillips, LLP discussed on how to grow past being uncomfortable discussing racism and its effects and how to lead through this discomfort. The webinar will took place on October 7, 2020 from 1:00pm to 2:00pm ET.

The Power of Executive Directors to Lead

Executive Directors/CEOs of leading women’s bar organizations shared their challenges, opportunities, and the often unseen efforts that make their organizations thrive.

GOOD Guys Virtual Workshop

Thursday, June 25, 2020; 1:00pm EDT

Use this one hour interactive workshop to brainstorm your organization’s first ever or next GOOD Guys program. The workshop will address:

Various GOOD Guys program formats
Setting a date and time
Recruiting GOOD Guys
Promoting your GOOD Guys program
Filling the room with male leaders
Extras to increase the impact of your GOOD guys program
Resources

Leave this workshop with all of the major details of your GOOD Guys program complete, and interact with GOOD Guys committee members who will help see your plans to fruition!

GOOD Guys is a national movement to engage male leadership in diversity and inclusion for exponential change, based on NCWBA’s free GOOD Guys programming. With our unified model program, we can spark unprecedented change reactions!

Although there is no registration fee, advance registration is requested. Click here to register.

The Partner Track

Tuesday, June 16, 2020; 10:00am PDT

Helen Wan, author and lawyer, discussed her book, The Partner Track, and shared her experience as an Asian-Pacific American woman lawyer and author.

The Partner Track is a story about a first-generation Chinese American woman, the first lawyer in her family, who is about to collect the holy grail of “firsts” and become the first minority woman to make partner at a venerable old law firm.

To listen to a recording of the webinar, click here.

It’s Not You, It’s the Workplace

Wednesday, May 20, 10:00 a.m. PDT

Lawyer and gender bias expert Andrea Kramer, discussed themes from her book by the same name.

Although there is no registration fee, advance registration is requested. Click here.

Nice Girls Don’t Stand Up or Speak Out

Thursday, February 27

Join a conversation with award-winning author Dr. Lois Frankel, author of Nice Girls Don’t Get the Corner Office. Learn how women leaders can stand up and speak out for success in their careers.

The Importance of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in Women’s Bar Associations

Thursday, January 16, 2020

Presenters include Sandra Yamate, Chief Executive Officer, Institute for Inclusion in the Legal Profession; Daphne Forbes, Senior Counsel, Microsoft; and Ellen Ostrow, Principal, Lawyers Life Coach, LLC.

How to Start a Food from the Bar Program: Learn from Those Who Have Done It

Thursday, December 12, 2019

Food from the Bar is a signature program of the National Conference of Women’s Bar Associations (NCWBA) set up as a friendly competition among law firms and legal offices to raise funds, donate food, and/or volunteer at your local Feeding America food bank. Food from the Bar programs now exist in many cities and states, including Washington, DC, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Houston, New Orleans, New Hampshire, and Kansas. Food from the Bar campaigns can be as simple has having a “Bar Association Volunteer Day” at your local food bank, or organizing a fund-raising event (“Billiards Bash,” “The Bowl-able Hour”) for your local food bank. It’s easy, it’s fun – and it will be one of the best things you do as part of your legal career.

This program was presented by two lawyers who have spearheaded Food from the Bar campaigns in several cities across the United States: Kathleen McDowell, NCWBA board member and partner at Munger, Tolles & Olson in Los Angeles, and Mark Ruge, partner at K&L Gates in Washington, DC.

Slides from Food from the Bar Webinar

The Shield of Silence: How Power Perpetuates a Culture of Harassment and Bullying in the Workplace

Thursday, November 14, 2019

Lauren Stiller Rikleen, President, Rikleen Institute for Strategic Leadership, discusses findings from her book, The Shield of Silence: How Power Perpetuates a Culture of Harassment and Bullying in the Workplace as well as strategies for change, addressing the link between sexual harassment and gender discrimination, and the ways in which fear of retaliation silences victims and bystanders. NCWBA Board Members Teresa Beck (Co-Chair of California Litigation and Chair of Arizona Litigation for Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney) and Sheila Willis (Associate in the Columbia, South Carolina office of Fisher Phillips) facilitate the discussion.

To listen to the audio recording, click below:

Free Teleconference: Mentoring Millennial Women

Mentoring is at risk of becoming a lost art. At a time when Facebook groups, Slack channels, and alternative means of networking, guidance, and education are on the rise, it’s critical to remain relevant to the newest generation of female attorneys, not only to provide support and much-needed resources to budding practitioners, but also to develop future female leaders who will pass the torch to the next generation.