By Erin Giglia
I had the honor and pleasure of taking part in the 4th annual Ms. JD Conference on Women in Law on April 1, 2011 at Southwestern Law School in Los Angeles as a panel speaker.
Ms. JD is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to the success of women in law school and the legal profession. Serving as a unique nexus between the profession and the pipeline of diverse attorneys, Ms. JD’s online community provides a forum for dialogue and networking among women lawyers and law students. With campus chapters throughout the nation, Ms. JD is also home to the National Women Law Students’ Organization. Ms. JD celebrates women’s achievements, addresses remaining challenges, and facilitates continued progress by bringing legal practitioners and law students together to share in an ongoing conversation about gender issues in law school and the profession.
Ms. JD’s Mission Statement is: “Ms. JD seeks to support and improve the experiences of women law students and lawyers. Obstacles to equal participation hinder not only women in the law but also their colleagues, clients, children, and communities. Ms. JD consequently strives to give voice to why it matters that women continue to overcome barriers to achieve gender parity in the profession. In doing so, Ms. JD spreads the word: women’s victories are everyone’s victories.”
Ms. JD supports and advances women in law through scholarships, conferences, networking, seminars, and through a partnership with University of Texas School of Law Center for Women in Law (also an excellent organization supporting women in law).
The Fourth Annual Conference featured excellent speakers like Debbie Epstein Henry, author of LAW & REORDER: Legal Industry Solutions for Restructure, Retention, Promotion & Work/Life Balance (American Bar Association, 2010), and had panel speakers on many topics pertinent to attorneys and law students. There were also workshops for law students on communication skills and self-promotion. I had the pleasure of speaking to young attorneys on the attorney panel “Making the Move to a Solo or Small Firm Practice” with Teddy Snyder and Jasmin French. Teddy, Jasmin and I spoke about the challenges and joys of being in business for yourself. We encouraged the attendees to create a plan, find a niche, and seek out leaders and mentors to increase their success.
I adore Ms. JD, its mission, and what it is doing to advance women in the legal profession. I strongly encourage all female law students and attorneys to join at http://www.ms-jd.com/.
Erin Giglia is a co-founder and co-owner of Montage Legal Group. Montage Legal Group is a network of freelance attorneys who left big firm practice in favor of work/life balance and increased flexibility. Erin Giglia and Laurie Rowen co-founded Montage Legal Group in 2009, added a third attorney in early 2010, and grew to a network of 20 freelance attorneys by April 2011.