By Erin Giglia
Jerri Rosen, Lisa Dawson, and Laurie Rowen
NAWBO-OC’s 2012 Remarkable Women
Montage Legal Group is excited to announce that its co-founder, Laurie Rowen, has been chosen as the “Entrepreneur to Watch” by the National Association of Women Business Owners – Orange County (NAWBO-OC). Along with Laurie, NAWBO-OC will be honoring Lisa Dale, CEO and founder of Seabreeze Management Company Inc., and Jerri Rosen, CEO and founder of Working Wardrobes, at the 17th annual Remarkable Women Awards. Every year, NAWBO-OC honors Orange County women business leaders who have demonstrated success, leadership and passion in their chosen fields.
“The Remarkable Women Awards is NAWBO-OC’s signature event and allows the organization to showcase Orange County’s exceptionally talented and accomplished businesswomen,” says Loreen Gilbert, president of NAWBO-OC and president of WealthWise Financial Services. “This event gives us the opportunity to learn from the honorees’ life journeys and has proven to be an inspirational evening demonstrating the integral role women business owners play in our community. Each honoree has created an enterprise that is making a significant impact on the community.” The annual Remarkable Women Awards is an evening designed to recognize local women business owners who have dared to step it up, follow their dreams and inspire others with their commitment to what is possible. Honorees were selected through a rigorous nomination and review process and represent companies ranging from start-up businesses to large, established corporations.
As stated in NAWBO OC’s press release, Laurie has been selected as “Entrepreneur to Watch” for her efforts in co-founding Montage Legal Group:
Rowen is a cofounder of Montage Legal Group, a nationwide network of experienced contract/freelance attorneys with impressive credentials from top law schools and training in prestigious law firms. Montage’s attorneys assist law firms with temporary and substantive legal projects on an hourly basis, providing a cost-effective way to manage case overflow. Rowen’s business is creating innovative options for law firms by tapping into a vetted talent base, benefiting both law firms and their clients. NAWBO-OC has selected Rowen as a woman of Inspiration for her exemplary entrepreneurial achievement, her outstanding business accomplishments and her performance as a role model for aspiring businesswomen.
Laurie is being recognized not only for her work with Montage Legal Group, but for her dedication to the board of WHW (Women Helping Women/Men2Work). As stated in OC Giving’s recent article:
For the last seven years, Laurie has played a significant leadership role at WHW, a nonprofit organization that serves the low-income and disadvantaged job seekers in Orange County at no charge and with no obligation. Through event planning and sponsorship, Laurie has brought in more than $180,000 to the organization and is responsible for the donation of over 6,000 articles of professional clothing and accessories through her conception of “Suits for a Cause,” a month long clothing drive supported by more than 30 law firms in Orange County. As Board President from 2010 to 2011, Laurie oversaw critical strategic initiatives, including, moving WHW’s services from 2,000 square feet to over 8,000 square feet and bringing in a new Executive Director. In 2011-2012, WHW served more than 4,000 clients, a 35% growth over the previous fiscal year.
WHW’s Executive Director of WHW further states “Laurie’s passion for the mission of WHW has served as a driving force behind the growth of the organization.”
On October 15th, the OC Register featured an interview with all three women, titled “Award-winning women talk about leadership” by Jan Norman. The OC Register’s slideshow featured along with this article includes photos of all three women working. Check out the full slideshow here: OC Register Slideshow.
Update: The Remarkable Women Awards event was held on Tuesday, October 16, 2012 and it was a great success. If you missed the event, view the video below that was played at the event to introduce Laurie Rowen.
Laurie Gormican Rowen received her Juris Doctor degree, cum laude, from USD Law in 2004, and was an associate editor of the San Diego Law Review and president of the Student Bar Association. She received her bachelor’s degree from UCLA, graduating magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa. Rowen is the co-founder and owner of Montage Legal Group, a nationwide network of experienced contract/freelance attorneys with impressive credentials and training in prestigious law firms. Montage’s attorneys assist firms with temporary legal projects on an hourly basis and provide a cost-effective way to manage case overflow. Prior to launching Montage in 2009 with Erin Giglia, Rowen was an associate at Snell & Wilmer, where she practiced product liability defense and complex litigation. Rowen is a frequent speaker on contract lawyering, work-life balance, and networking. She was named one of OC Metro Magazine’s 2011 “Top 40 under 40” and was featured in the ABA Journal’s article, “Freelance Law: Lawyers’ Network Helps These Women Keep a Hand in the Workforce.” In addition to her legal work, Rowen serves on the Board of Directors of Women Helping Women/Men2Work, a nonprofit providing employment support services to empower disadvantaged men and women in reaching economic self-sufficiency.