JRCLS Annual Conference: Register Now!

The JRCLS Annual Conference is coming up.  It is going to be held on February 13-15, 2014 in Kansas City, Missouri at the UMKC School of Law.  The Conference theme is  "Obedience to the Law is Liberty".  

Great speakers are lined up including J. W. Nixon, governor of Missouri, James Clayton, Solicitor General of Missouri, judges from Kansas and Missouri, Elder Lance Wickman, general counsel for the Church and many, many others.

Since the first student conference in 2004, the J. Reuben Clark Law Society Annual Conference has expanded to include attorneys, and Society members from outside the United States who gather to discuss contemporary legal issues, expand professional networks, discuss the mission of the Law Society, hold Section meetings, and provide mentoring.

Please think about attending. One of the benefits to holding the Conference in the Kansas City area is that there is so much LDS Church history associated with that location. Many of the Conference classes and side trips will include this historical perspective.

For more information about the Conference or to register go to www.jrclsconference.com/. 

We will be holding a special Women in Law Breakfast on Friday morning. Hope to see you there!

“Remarkable Ideas about Remarkable Women”

(Written by Debbie Hendrickson, WIL Committee vice-chair.)

As part of a group leadership project, our WIL committee recently finished reading the book, “How Remarkable Women Lead” by Joanna Barsh and Susie Cranston.  I highly recommend it, as you will find a plethora of good ideas and suggestions for how to improve not only your leadership skills, but your life in general.  It’s a good read. 

One section of the book particularly attracted my attention --- actually startled me.  It was about energy (the physical stamina kind).  This section took up a significant portion of the book, as it was one of the five main themes that were discussed.  

It surprised me that this issue warranted such attention, when discussing the success of the amazing and dynamic women described in the book.  Not that I didn’t realize it takes a lot of energy to be an amazing, dynamic, and successful woman.  Rather I have always told myself, when admiring a really amazing woman, that “women like her are just born with an incredible amount of energy --- much more than I could ever have no matter what I do.” 

My lack of physical stamina and energy has always been what I considered my biggest obstacle to having or accomplishing more ambitious goals.  I’ve learned a lot of little strategies that help maximize the energy I have --- in particular regular exercise and adequate sleep.  But even with these priorities, I still have felt limited in the area of energy.  (Maybe it has just been a subconscious “excuse” for laziness or other insecurities … who knows?!)

The ideas presented in the book that intrigued me were suggestions for how to have a different perspective on such issues as your own personal energy reserves (e.g. which activities energize you and which ones deplete you), work-life balance (e.g. instead of thinking you can reach a “balance”, learn to manage your actual energy flows), and how to protect and replenish your reserves day to day (e.g. take a quick walk down the hall or outside several times a day).

These are just a few of the many ideas discussed that I found really enlightening.  I invite you to read the book if you can and share your discoveries and thoughts.  I suspect that you will have an experience similar to mine and that it will change your perspective in a positive and helpful way!

Overflow Legal Network: A Company that Creates an Alternative to Firm Life

(Written by Desiree Nordstrom, a WIL Committee member.)

My business partner and I recently started a company, Overflow Legal Network LLC. OLN is a group of qualified freelance attorneys providing contractual legal support to law firms nationwide. I came across this business model a few years back, just after having my baby girl. At the time, I was trying to figure out how to do it all: how to have a career, be a great mommy, be a good wife and everything in between.  As a new mother, I was overwhelmed, to say the least.  I finally settled on leaving full-time practice and scaling back to part-time freelance work.  

Having years of experience as a freelance attorney helps me see the value that being associated with a network of freelance attorneys can provide.  I would like to detail those benefits below. 

Joining Overflow Legal Network’s group of freelance attorneys enables you to have a flexible schedule, work from any location at any hour of the day, set your own hourly rate, and bill out on an hourly basis. As an OLN freelance attorney, you have the autonomy to accept or deny work on a project-by-project basis. Having the final say gives you power over your schedule.  

Another benefit is OLN does the networking for you.  One thing I struggle with while freelancing is finding the time to get out and meet potential new business. But for attorneys associated with OLN’s network, making contacts in an effort to get more work is not a pressure. OLN does the marketing and networking for you. This allows you to focus on the reasons you needed to take time away from full-time practice in the first place.  

Overflow Legal Network provides a wonderful opportunity for freelance attorneys and we are currently recruiting to expand our network.  If you think freelance legal work is right for you, please feel free to visit our site and contact us.  

If you are a firm that seeks assistance in completing the work product you need, feel free to contact us as well.  We are here to answer your questions.  Find us at: overflowlegalnetwork.com.

Then and Now

(Written by Angel Zimmerman, a WIL Committee member.)

I recently found this very interesting article and video clip.  It is the sequel to a New York Times Magazine piece that was published twelve years ago. In the original piece, twenty-one recent women law school graduates, who had accepted jobs with Debevoise & Plimpton, were asked what they saw in their future. In the video clip five of those twenty-one women share what actually happened in that twelve year time period.

It is fascinating.  To quote one part of the article, written by Florence Martin-Kessler:

"From the original 21, around half are in private practice, some are in powerful positions at corporations, others are working in public interest law and several became full-time parents. But what I found most interesting was that their lives were often far more complex than they had predicted. Even the greatest of expectations, it seems, eventually encounter reality."

To read the article and view the video clip go to Great Expectations for Female Lawyers.

Just for fun, I've included a then and now picture of me. Why don't you do the same?  It would be great to get to know the past and current "you".

Here is my picture, pregnant with our third and working as the office manager for an attorney. I wasn't an attorney and had no clue when I would get to go to law school. It was 1997 and my thought was "this chair will be mine someday".

In the picture below, taken this year, that chair did become mine!

A Man's Perspective on CLE Offered at a Women's Conference

At our Regional Women in Law Conference a handful of men attended.  Two had recently passed the bar.  One was a recent law school graduate. Two were experienced practicing lawyers. One was a sitting federal district court judge. Another, my husband, a retired Arizona Court of Appeals judge.

All seven came up to me and told me they really appreciated being at the Conference. Four of them said they enjoyed our Conference CLE more than they have any other CLE.

These men were very pleased they were there and also very pleased with the experience they'd had. Why? What was so different about the CLE/classes we offered?

I asked a few of them.  One said that it was so much more personal than what is typically offered. Another said it allowed him to better understand some of the issues women lawyers face, to hear women talking with other women about women. Another said he learned a lot from discussions about priorities and how to evaluate where to spend your time. This last man said that "I'd never had those discussions in a legal setting before".

So what did we learn? CLE presented by women, for women, helps and enriches us all.

A Challenge and a Promise

(Written by Nan Barker, WIL Committee chair.)

To describe the 1st ever Regional Women in Law Conference in one word would be: wonderful! We had a marvelous experience together on Saturday. There were women (and a sprinkling of brave men) from a variety of geographic and professional areas. We all came together gaining strength from one another.

The following are some of the ideas that were discussed:

Priorities are choices we make all the time; we only become unbalanced when we let others take charge of those choices.

Megan Lennox, Deborah Hendrickson, Michelle Mumford

Integrity gives balance.

Watch out for the tiny steps--those that slowly take you away from ethical positions.

Become aware of and use Re-Entry programs that are already in existence.

Stay abreast of current technology.

Recognize that a law degree is a leadership degree.

Networking requires sincerity.

The skills you use while at staying at home are marketable and transferable.

Tisha Huish, Maren Hanson, Jessica Maziarz, Anne Findling

Use technology to enhance your practice and life.

Ginger did everything Fred did, except she did it backwards and in heels.

That gives you a small taste of the things that were discussed. There were many, many more.

One of the highlights for me was toward the end of the Conference. Each person was asked to stand, give their name and share with the group what idea or concept they had heard that day that had helped or affected them the most. That was an amazing experience! Every class/presentation was mentioned. Many similar things were learned. Many different things were learned. I wish each one of you could have been there.

I entitled this post "A Challenge and a Promise".  The reason I did was because I would like to issue a challenge to each one of you who is reading this. And I promise, that if you fulfill the challenge, you will be changed for the better.

Joni Jamison, Christine Leavitt, Penny Willrich, Jessica Everett-Garcia

Here is the challenge: sometime in the next week get together, either in person or on skpe or FaceTime or over the phone with at least two other women attorneys. Share with each other why/how you ended up in law school, what you've learned since law school and what you hope to do in the future with your law degree.

Here is the promise: If you fulfill the challenge you will be enriched and strengthened. You will feel more connected and less alone. You will be a better person.  I promise!

Share with us, through this blog, or me through my email (nanbarker@gmail.com) what you experience by completing this challenge. Your experiences will also strengthen us. Good luck!

Regional Women in Law Conference Tomorrow

(Written by Nan Barker, WIL Committee chair.)

The first ever JRCLS Regional Women in Law Conference takes place tomorrow, Saturday November 9th, in Arizona.  We started planning this event right after the Annual Leadership Conference that was held last February in Washington, D.C.

At the D.C. Conference I felt so enriched and energized by the association of other women attorneys. We met together for a breakfast, but that was the only time we met as a group of women.  It wasn't long enough.  Thus, this Conference tomorrow.

We have women coming from California, Nevada, Utah, Idaho, North Dakota and, of course, Arizona.  I know the speakers will present wonderful information on topics ranging from "How to Start Your Own Practice" and "Creating a Virtual Office" to "How to Stay Involved With the Legal World When You're At Home" and "Using Your Law Degree in Your Community".

The thing I am looking forward to most of all is the opportunity to be around some amazing women attorneys for a few hours on a Saturday. They will affect my life in a great way.  I KNOW that. It happens every time.

I wish others of you could be at the Conference. I think of those of you who follow this blog who live in Turkey, India, Saudi Arabia, etc. who can't be with us and who may not have the opportunity to be with fellow women attorneys. Please know that we are thinking of you. Maybe sometime in the future there will be a JRCLS Regional Women in Law Conference in Istanbul!

On Monday I'll post some highlights from the Conference. Some pictures too.