On Thursday, March 18, 2021, Women Owned Law (WOL) will be holding their Second Annual Symposium, under the theme Pivoting Forward Together: Women Entrepreneurs at the Cutting Edge of Law. The Virtual Symposium this year is brought to you in a creative virtual format which will include opportunities to “sit” around tables and meet other attendees, as well as an interactive speed-networking session!
After enduring months of challenges brought on by unprecedented events, join us to connect with a diverse mix of successful women entrepreneurs in the law and their supporters and be inspired! Let’s “pivot forward together” by learning and sharing invaluable information about topics salient to women entrepreneurs, and discovering solutions to pertinent issues.
The day-long Virtual Symposium 2021 will feature a fireside chat, panel discussions, virtual speed networking, and an awards ceremony. The programming will include insights from a wide range of women legal entrepreneurs, as well as business advisors and representatives from majority-owned law firms and corporations dedicated to promoting gender diversity in the law.
This year, WOL is thrilled to be able to offer attendees an absolutely not-to-miss fireside chat with Laurie N. Robinson Haden, President & CEO, Corporate Counsel Women of Color, facilitated by Best-Selling Author & Public Speaker, Debbie Epstein Henry. Seventeen years ago, Laurie Robinson Haden was Assistant General Counsel in the labor and employment group of CBS Broadcasting Inc. when she launched a non-profit organization, Corporate Counsel Women of Color (CCWC). During this fireside chat, you’ll hear why Laurie created CCWC to advance women attorneys of color and foster diversity in the legal profession. Laurie will share how she galvanized efforts to grow CCWC’s membership from 30 to over 4,500 members today. With probing questions posed by women and legal industry expert, Debbie Epstein Henry, Laurie will challenge us to be bold and act bold. She will also inspire us to make change and make an impact in our workplaces, in our homes and in our communities. You won’t want to miss this conversation – it’s the dialogue that all of us have been wanting and needing to have.
WOL is equally thrilled to be able to present four (4) plenary sessions which promise to be equally riveting, thought-provoking and inspirational:
Burnout and Resilience
Women, attorneys and business owners are all too familiar with burnout. Women law firm owners and practitioners are a triple threat with triple the threat of burnout. The pandemic has resulted in more anxiety, stress and burnout. Can we beat burnout before it beats us? Our panelists have studied how burnout impacts lawyers and during this fascinating panel, they will share their findings and their best tips to combat and come back from burnout.
Recognizing and Combatting Implicit Bias: An Interactive Workshop
Overt racism is easy to identify. But what about implicit bias – soft prejudices that we all have, but of which we are basically unaware. In today’s heated social and global climate, this lack of awareness can deeply impact your professional and personal life as well as the way you unintentionally communicate and think. It can even have serious economic ramifications, particularly for women, as well as for corporations.
This thought-provoking workshop will take a deep dive into the subject, where you will confront your own biases and see how you – regardless of race, status, income or education – have been a victim of unconscious bias. There will be an exercise that underscores and furthers the learnings.
Hiring & Supervising in a Virtual Environment
Join us for an interactive panel discussion with practitioners from a variety of backgrounds about how to effectively hire and supervise your team in the virtual environment. Whether your office has always been partially or entirely virtual, or whether you encountered these challenges for the first time in the pandemic, this panel has something for you. Topics will include: remote interview strategies,
- how to build a team and engage employees remotely,
- remote performance management,
- legal considerations in having a distributed workforce, and
- giving effective feedback in the virtual environment.
How to Be Innovative in Your Business Development Efforts
There is no dispute that COVID-19 has created unprecedented changes in the way businesses operate. In this session, our expert panelists explore the impacts of COVID-19 on business development and provide strategies and techniques to not just endure, but ways to thrive in this new business world. Explore innovative ways to grow your network and expand your business with perspective from both the marketer and those being marketed to.
The Symposium is for everyone! No matter if you are a veteran, novice or aspiring women entrepreneur in the law, or whether you are running a firm or providing legal services, or a professional, company and other organization interested in doing business with women entrepreneurs – you should attend this cutting-edge program. Click here to Register Now!
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WOMEN OWNED LAW (WOL)
Women Owned Law (WOL) was founded and is headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in late 2016. It is governed by a Board of Directors, currently comprised of 19 members. Additionally, an Advisory Board, comprised of approximately two dozen individuals with varying backgrounds, including law firms, in-house counsel, diversity and inclusion experts, and experts in entrepreneurship, provides guiding leadership to WOL.
WOL currently maintains several committees, which currently include the Executive, Finance, Member Affairs, Virtual Programming, and Governance. The committees function as the operational arms of the organization, comprised of volunteers from among WOL members, who complete activities and tasks to carry out the mission of WOL.
WOL is currently comprised of approximately 200 members, many of which are Founders Circle Sponsors. WOL Members consist of a diverse group of individuals, coming from a variety of practice disciplines, geographic locations, and career backgrounds. WOL also has received sponsorship support above the Founders Circle level from a number of regional and national organizations. This support generally has been in the form of both in-kind and cash contributions. WOL also has a number of other in-kind sponsors whose contribution cannot be quantified.
WOL hired its first staff person, a Director of Operations, in August 2017, who handles all administrative and some strategic functions of WOL, with support of an administrative assistant.
I am a seasoned international trade and customs attorney, and policy adviser for various companies and governments with a demonstrated history of successfully developing and implementing sustainable and dynamic trade programs. I am experienced in creating partnerships with various business-support organizations to drive compliance and growth in the international market.
