Minnesota Women Lawyers

TO ADVANCE THE SUCCESS OF WOMEN IN THE LEGAL PROFESSION AND STRIVE FOR A JUST SOCIETY.

THE MWL ANNUAL ROSALIE WAHL LEADERSHIP LECTURE (FALL 2020) THE WAHL LECTURE WAS HELD REMOTELY IN HONOR OF RETIRED JUSTICE ROSALIE WAHL ON WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 27TH, 2020. COMMEMORATING MWL'S 26TH ANNUAL WAHL LECTURE, THE EVENT HONORED JUSTICE WAHL, AND CELEBRATED MINNESOTA WOMEN LEADERS WHO NOT ONLY HAVE A SEAT AT THE TABLE, BUT ARE ALSO CHANGE AGENTS IN THEIR OWN COMMUNITIES. MWL WAS PLEASED TO PRESENT: LEFT OUT AND LEFT BEHIND: A CRITICAL CONVERSATION ABOUT THE HURDLES, HASSLES, AND HEARTACHES OF ACHIEVING LONG-TERM LEGAL CAREERS FOR WOMEN OF COLOR AND POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS MWL WAS HONORED TO WELCOME KEYNOTE SPEAKERS PAULETTE BROWN AND EILEEN LETTS, CO-AUTHORS OF THE NEW ABA REPORT "LEFT OUT AND LEFT BEHIND: THE HURDLES, HASSLES, AND HEARTACHES OF ACHIEVING LONG-TERM LEGAL CAREERS FOR WOMEN OF COLOR." IN THIS NEW REPORT RELEASED EARLIER THIS SUMMER, "LEFT OUT AND LEFT BEHIND" HIGHLIGHTS THE EXPERIENCES AND CHALLENGES FACED BY WOMEN LAWYERS OF COLOR ACROSS THE COUNTRY. AUTHORED BY MS. BROWN AND MS. LETTS, IN COLLABORATION WITH SOCIAL SCIENTIST DESTINY PEERY, THE SURVEY RESEARCH ON WHICH THE REPORT IS BASED REVEALS THAT WOMEN LAWYERS OF COLOR WERE FAR MORE LIKELY TO WANT TO LEAVE THE PROFESSION THAN THEIR WHITE COLLEAGUES; WERE MORE LIKELY TO BE SUBJECTED TO BOTH IMPLICIT AND EXPLICIT BIAS; AND WERE MORE LIKELY TO REPORT FACTORS THAT BLOCKED THEIR "ACCESS TO SUCCESS," INCLUDING ACCESS TO BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES, BEING PERCEIVED AS LESS COMMITTED TO CAREER AND BEING DENIED OR OVERLOOKED FOR PROMOTION. THESE ISSUES ARE IMPORTANT FOR OUR ENTIRE LEGAL COMMUNITY TO ADDRESS, PARTICULARLY AS CRITICAL ISSUES OF EQUITY AND RACIAL JUSTICE AND THE CURRENT PANDEMIC FURTHER AFFECT AND BRING THESE MATTERS TO THE FOREFRONT. IN THE EFFORT TO ADVOCATE FOR CRITICAL CHANGES, MS. BROWN AND MS. LETTS AND THEIR REPORT OUTLINE A NUMBER OF KEY RECOMMENDATIONS FOR CONCRETE ACTION. MWL INVITED ITS MEMBERSHIP AND THE ENTIRE LEGAL COMMUNITY TO ATTEND THE 26TH ANNUAL WAHL LECTURE FOR THIS CRITICAL CONVERSATION WITH MS. BROWN AND MS. LETTS ABOUT THEIR RESEARCH, ABOUT THE REPORT'S RECOMMENDATIONS TO BETTER RETAIN WOMEN OF COLOR ATTORNEYS, AND HOW ALL OF US MUST BE A PART OF SOLUTION.

ANNUAL MEETING (SPRING 2021) DUE TO THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC, MWL'S 49TH ANNUAL MEETING WAS HELD AS A REMOTE EVENT ON FRIDAY, APRIL 30, 2021. HELD REMOTELY, THIS EVENT OFFERED AN OPPORTUNITY TO CELEBRATE OUR PAST ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND PLAN OUR FUTURE SUCCESSES. LED BY MWL PRESIDENT BREIA SCHLEUSS, MWL SHARED THE FY21-22 BOARD OF DIRECTORS ELECTION RESULTS AND HONORED ITS 2021 ANNUAL AWARD RECIPIENTS. (THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS ELECTION WAS CONDUCTED VIA AN ONLINE BALLOT PRIOR TO THE ANNUAL MEETING.)

MWL MEMBER MONDAY SERIES (SEPT 2020 TO JUNE 2021) MWL WAS PLEASED TO LAUNCH A NEW MONTHLY OPPORTUNITY TO ENGAGE WITH MINNESOTA WOMEN LAWYERS AND ITS MEMBERS, LEARN FROM LEGAL COMMUNITY LEADERS, AND BUILD CONNECTIONS ACROSS THE PROFESSION. HELD ON THE 2ND MONDAY OF EACH MONTH (UNLESS NOTED OTHERWISE) FROM 12:00 NOON TO 1:30 P.M., MWL MEMBER MONDAYS PROVIDED A CONSISTENT OPPORTUNITY FOR MWL MEMBERS AND THE STATEWIDE LEGAL COMMUNITY TO CONNECT ON TOPICS OF COMMON INTEREST, ALL IN SUPPORT OF MWL'S MISSION AND VALUES. EACH MONTH'S GATHERING OFFERED A DYNAMIC AND RELEVANT PROGRAM IN A VARIETY OF REMOTE FORMATS. WE HEARD FROM COMMUNITY LEADERS, PARTICIPATED IN A WORKSHOP-STYLE FORMAT, AND ENGAGED IN A GROUP-WIDE DISCUSSION. FURTHERMORE, MWL MEMBER MONDAYS PROVIDED MEMBERS AND NON-MEMBERS ALIKE WITH THE OPPORTUNITY TO LEARN MORE ABOUT MWL AND ITS BENEFITS, AS WELL AS OPPORTUNITIES TO VOLUNTEER AND FURTHER ENGAGE WITH THE ASSOCIATION. MWL MEMBER MONDAYS WERE FREE AND MOST OFFERED 1.0 CLE CREDIT. SEPTEMBER 14, 2020: LEADERSHIP IN TIMES OF CHANGE: RE-IMAGINING THE LEGAL WORKPLACE OCTOBER 19, 2020 (3RD MONDAY): NAVIGATING THE CAREGIVER PENALTY NOVEMBER 9, 2020: YOUR 2020 PERFORMANCE REVIEW DECEMBER 14, 2020: PAUSE... REFRESH OR REBOOT: CAREER STRATEGIC PLANNING TO ENHANCE 2021 SUCCESS JANUARY 11, 2021: LOOKING FORWARD, LOOKING BACK: A CONVERSATION BETWEEN NEW AND SEASONED WOMEN ATTORNEYS FEBRUARY 8, 2021: MOVING INTO 2021: A CONVERSATION ABOUT CHALLENGES FACED, LESSONS LEARNED, & COMMITMENTS TO CARRY FORWARD MARCH 8, 2021: A TWO-WAY STREET: HOW GETTING INVOLVED IN YOUR COMMUNITY CAN BETTER YOUR LEGAL CAREER APRIL 12, 2021: SAVANNA'S ACT: JUSTICE FOR MURDERED AND MISSING INDIGENOUS WOMEN MAY 10, 2021: PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND RELATIONSHIP BUILDING IN A CHANGED WORLD JUNE 14, 2021: CELEBRATING OUR COLLECTIVE SUCCESS THE PRESENTER FOR THE JANUARY 11TH PRESENTATION RECEIVED A $500 FEE. NO OTHER SPEAKERS RECEIVED AN HONORARIUM.

ONGOING LEADERSHIP, PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND MENTOR PROGRAMS MWL SPONSORED ONGOING PROGRAMS THROUGHOUT THE YEAR DESIGNED TO FOSTER LEADERSHIP, PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND MENTORING OPPORTUNITIES FOR WOMEN LAWYERS. WHEN IT WAS NOT SAFE TO MEET IN PERSON, PROGRAMMING TOOK PLACE REMOTELY VIA ZOOM WEBINAR. EQUITY INITIATIVES MWL SPONSORED ONGOING PROJECTS AND INITIATIVES RELATED TO THE SYSTEMIC ADVANCEMENT AND SUCCESS OF WOMEN ATTORNEYS. OVERALL, THE EQUITY COMMITTEE WORKS TO DEVELOP AND IMPLEMENT ACTION STEPS FOR MWL TO ACHIEVE EQUITY FOR WOMEN IN THE LEGAL PROFESSION, INCLUDING: 1) ASSESSING THE CURRENT STATUS OF WOMEN IN THE LEGAL PROFESSION IN MINNESOTA; 2) IDENTIFYING BARRIERS THAT PREVENT WOMEN FROM ACHIEVING EQUITY; 3) STEPS (SPECIFIC PROGRAMS/INITIATIVES) THAT CAN BE TAKEN TO OVERCOME SUCH BARRIERS; AND 4) IMPLEMENTATION OF ACTION STEPS AS APPROPRIATE. ACTIVITIES ARE INCLUSIVE OF BOTH THE BENCH AND THE BAR.