We are proud to report that three members of our Executive Committee contributed to NYSBA’s “Bridging the Gap” continuing legal education programs in March and April 2022. Sheryl Galler, Chair of the Section, presented “Client Counseling and the New Anti-Harassment Laws and Employment Law 101.” Sarah Gold, NYSBA Executive Committee’s liaison to our Section, presented … Continued
WILS held a business meeting during its 2022 Annual Meeting, electing the following officers for 2022-2023: —Secretary: Kaylin Whittingham —Treasurer: Margaret Sowah —Members at Large: Jennifer Boll (Upstate Member at Large), Justice Tanya R. Kennedy, Lisa Schoenfeld and Laura Sulem. WILS’ current Chair, Sheryl Galler, continues her two-year term, which ends on May 31, 2023, … Continued
On International Women’s Day, celebrated every year on March 8, the United Nations Committee of the New York City Bar Association convened its third annual conference, virtual this year, focused on legal and policy issues confronting women around the world. The Women in Law Section (WILS) co-sponsored the conference and promoted the event to its members … Continued
As part of Black History Month, on Feb. 23, 2022, WILS’ General Counsels Committee and the Committee on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion sponsored an informative training session led by Lanre Sulola on the topic “Fostering a Culture of Belonging.” Sulola is a senior development coach and facilitator at Inner Ambitions, a company focused on inspiring and … Continued
Studies indicate that women have been leaving the practice of law over the last several years at a much greater rate than men. This attrition appears to have been amplified during and after the COVID-19 lockdown. Initial research reveals that women were disproportionately impacted by COVID-19 as the shift in the work/family dynamics produced more … Continued
I. Introduction On May 6, 2020, the United States Department of Education (the “Department”), under the Trump administration, issued final regulations regarding educational institutions’ obligations under Title IX concerning sexual harassment (the “2020 Regulations”). The 2020 Regulations sought to set forth clear legal obligations for how educational institutions receiving federal financial assistance (“recipients”) respond to allegations … Continued
Justice Sandra Day O’Connor could not get a job at a law firm after graduating from Stanford Law School in 1952.1 “When I was first looking for work, they just weren’t hiring women, period,” she said.2 After declining an offer for a position as a legal secretary, O’Connor took a position as a deputy county attorney … Continued
June 24, 2022 will forever be etched in our memories as the day our fundamental rights as equal citizens were taken away from American women and all childbearing persons. The majority’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, No. 19-1392, 597 U.S. __ (2022), for the first time in U.S. history chooses to use the Constitution … Continued
The second panel at the 2022 WILS Annual Meeting Program was a virtual panel discussion entitled “Speaking Up and Speaking Out: Using Our Voices To Combat Sexual Harassment.” The panelists began by reviewing current laws to combat sexual harassment in the workplace, including mandatory reporting and laws against retaliation. They discussed current issues involving remote … Continued
As alternative dispute resolution (ADR)—the resolution of disputes through arbitration, mediation, and other non-litigation methods—continues to grow in popularity, many leaders of the ADR community are focused more than ever on diversity efforts, including efforts to increase the number of women serving as neutrals. Although reliable statistics on women’s participation in ADR are hard to … Continued