Academy for the Advancement of Women in Law

The Program

Online via Zoom Fridays, October 11 — November 22, 2024
9-10 am (New York time)

Join us for a series of conversations in which a range of speakers share ideas and best practices to help women lawyers manage the challenges they face, create more inclusive environments, and enable their advancement globally. The program is presented in collaboration with Pérez-Llorca.

Early bird rates available now for a limited time!

  • $500 for all participants (discounted from $800 for individual participants, and $600 for Fordham alumni or 3+ participants from the same firm/organization)

Who Should Attend

This program is open to lawyers and affiliated staff at all levels, regardless of gender.

2024 Tentative Program Schedule

  • Featuring Nishat Ruiter, General Counsel, TED Conferences LLC

    • CLE Credit TBC

  • This session will cover how women lawyers can develop their individual professional branding, marshal social media to promote their practice, effectively communicate their expertise to clients, and curate new business via marketing.

    Featuring:

    Deborah Farone, Farone Advisors

    • CLE Credit: 1.0 professional practice credits for both NY & NJ
  • This panel will discuss the state of affairs of women in the legal profession with an emphasis on current data trends and relevant studies. Panelists will consider intersectional identities and how critical conversations do and do not address systemic inequality in the practice of law.

    Featuring:

    Paulette Brown, Locke Lord LLC (Tentative)

    Roberta D. Liebenberg, Fine, Kaplan & Black, R.P.C.

    Stephanie A. Scharf, Scharf, Banks & Marmor LLC

    • CLE Credit: 1.0 Diversity, Inclusion and Elimination of Bias credits in NY; 1.0 Professional Practice Credit in NJ
  • This panel will feature a frank conversation between a female and a male managing partner of leading global law firms. They will discuss strategies for advancing women in their firms and the profession more broadly. The panel will explore whether female and male leaders view this issue and their roles in promoting underrepresented groups differently and how we can achieve better alignment and outcomes.

    Featuring:

    Richard Hans, DLA Piper

    Sarah Solum, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer

    Moderator: Maria-Leticia Ossa Daza, Paul Weiss

    • CLE Credit: 1.0 Diversity, Inclusion and Elimination of Bias credits in NY; 1.0 Professional Practice Credit in NJ

  • Panelists will analyze ways in which law firms and other organizations can align their practices around well-being with their organizational culture and values. They will further discuss how individuals may advocate for their own well-being and implement practices that will benefit that of their colleagues and team members. Special attention will be paid to teasing out potential conflicts between personal well-being and ethical obligations.

    Featuring:

    Olga Gutman, Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP

    Tiaunia N. Henry, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP

    R. Javoyne Hicks, State Bar of Georgia Attorney Wellness Committee; KnotFree Living LLC

    Emily Logan Stedman, Husch Blackwell

    Moderator: Jordana Confino, Fordham University School of Law

  • Experts in the field of male allyship will engage in an open discussion with program participants about how men can support their women colleagues in the workplace. The experts will incorporate their own research with the personal experience of program participants to generate practical insights that can benefit daily workplace interactions and the general culture and performance of organizations.

    Featuring:

    Brad Johnson, US Naval Academy

    David Smith, Johns Hopkins Carey Business School

    Moderator: JeanMarie Campbell, Baker McKenzie

    • CLE Credit: .5 Diversity, Inclusion and Elimination of Bias and .5 Professional Practice Credits in NY; 1.0 Professional Practice Credit in NJ

  • Panelists will provide insights into how their experiences in education, leadership, and lawyering affect their organizational vision and decision making. Participants will unpack themes that recurred throughout the program with a goal of articulating a holistic future for the profession that benefits lawyers and affiliated staff of all genders.

    Featuring:

    Michael Blackshear, Ryan Specialty

    Cecilia Caldeira, Fordham University School of Law

    • CLE Credit: .5 Diversity, Inclusion and Elimination of Bias and .5 Professional Practice Credits in NY; 1.0 Professional Practice Credit in NJ

Cost and Payment

Early bird rates available now for a limited time!

  • $500 for all participants
  • Fordham Law staff and students should contact [email protected] to inquire about pricing

Regular rates will begin soon:

  • $800 individual registration
  • $600 discounted registration for alumni of any Fordham Law program
  • $600 discounted per registration for three or more participants from the same firm or organization
  • Fordham Law staff and students should contact [email protected] to inquire about pricing

Pay for the program using a credit card.

CLE Credit

Continuing legal education credit for the 2024 program has been approved in accordance with the requirements of the New York State and New Jersey State CLE Boards for a maximum of 7.0 credits. Credits are nontransitional (experienced) in the following areas (subject to change): New York - 2.5 Professional Practice, 3.5 Diversity, Inclusion, and Elimination of Bias, .5 Ethics and .5 Skills. New Jersey - 6.5 Professional Practice, and .5 Ethics credits.

Attendees seeking credit in another state will have to apply to their state's CLE Board for credit.