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.

And Shall Run and Not Be Weary, and Shall Walk and Not Faint

(Written by Susannah Thomas, a WIL Committee member.)

PREFACE: Last week I had a deadline to provide an article for this blog, but here I sit over a week later finally drafting this article. Ironically, I wanted to write about finding balance and moderation in our lives, and of course, the very moment I was ready to wax eloquent on the subject, I found myself dealing with a dental emergency first thing that Monday morning that took nearly 5 hours of my day and later that week attending a colleague's funeral that also took a half day. The combination of those two events left me off balance and 24 hours behind all week. So, yes, despite my best efforts and good intentions, I still have a lot to learn about how to find balance, and particularly how to regain that balance following unexpected situations. That said, I do have some thoughts to share on this subject that will hopefully help others accomplish this more successfully than I have.

The title of this blog piece comes from verse 20 of section 89 of the Doctrine and Covenants in the LDS scriptures, commonly referred to as the Word of Wisdom. For those who may not be familiar with the Word of Wisdom, it was a revelation given to Joseph Smith that serves as a guide (with some specific restrictions) for diet and nutrition, but I think really teaches a broader principle of exercising moderation in all of our life activities. This principle has always made sense to me with my dietary choices, but little did I realize how its application would ultimately play a large part in my success in law school.

At the beginning of each academic year the members of the BYU Law Alumni Association are invited to attend a breakfast with 1L students so that the students can, among other things, discuss worries, seek advice, and ask other questions that are on their minds. I have attended this breakfast for many years now, and each year I'm asked how to successfully get through law school. I could certainly try to say something brilliant about how to study, or share from my perspective as an adjunct professor about how to respond to the professor's questions, but I really don't know all the answers to these questions – it is different for each person. However, there is one bit of advice that I always give, and that is to find balance and moderation during the next three years; something that I learned the hard way during my first year of law school 14 years ago.

I had always been a good student and so I began my first year with all sorts of aspirations of academic success and accomplishment and nothing was going to stop me. I studied from 8am until midnight six days a week, read every word of every text, took copious notes in class, and created what I thought were pretty good outlines. All of this really paid off at the end of my first semester and I was within the range of the goals I had set for myself. But then came the second semester. I continued that same routine of 16 hours of obsessive study habits each day, but by the end of the year it was clear that something was terribly wrong. As I was studying for my 5th and final exam over a 7-day period, I had a complete mental meltdown, and found myself in a fetal position miserably sobbing because I couldn't jam one more bit of information into my head, and I knew I was going to fail everything I had worked so hard to achieve. I felt so helpless and lost and was literally weary and faint. 

Fortunately, mental burnout aside, I actually got through all my exams, including that last final, and miraculously passed every single one, but was still devastated when I ended up far from my academic goals that I had worked so hard to achieve. After the dust settled, I re-evaluated my goals and study habits so that I could better navigate through the next two years without repeating that total burnout scenario. I thought the first year of law school was as busy as it could possibly be, but somehow the next two years were each increasingly busier than the last. In addition to regular classes and homework, I was asked to serve in the Young Women organization in my LDS ward, I was involved in co-curricular activities, I began to practice yoga, and eventually audited some religion classes with my undergrad sisters during my third year of law school. 

Consequently, I was forced to better manage my time and did so by setting aside specific blocks of time for study, for yoga, for church activities, and so forth. By strictly observing this schedule of blocked out times rather than aimlessly studying non-stop for 16 hours a day, I became a better student, my exam grades improved, and I was able to find sufficient time to devote to all of my chosen co-curricular and extra-curricular activities. Once I finally began to learn how to find moderation and balance in life, I was much happier and at peace. It was such an amazing contrast to that first year.

So, my advice to the 1Ls each year is that even though the next three years will feel impossibly busy, it is critical to make time for a short walk, yoga practice, or whatever they choose to do that will force them to close their books and get out of the building, even if it's just for 15 minutes a day. In addition to that, I also advise them to moderate their studies by setting strict blocks of time so that their study time is focused and purposeful. I promise them that by practicing moderation in their studies and by making time to enjoy other activities, even if for a very short amount of time, they will return refreshed and ready to hit the law books and outlines again (and eventually their exams) with renewed intention and success. 

Now while I routinely give this advice to first year law students, this advice doesn't end with law school graduation. No matter what we are doing in life, we all continue to have many demands on our time and energy, but just as I've promised the first year students, I promise that as you find some balance and practice moderation in your daily responsibilities and activities, you will run and not be weary, and walk and not faint.

What's Happening at the Annual JRCLS Conference?

(Written by Nan Barker, chair of the Women in Law Committee.)

Hi.  I am flying to Washington, D.C. this morning (Wednesday) with my husband, Dan Barker, to attend the Annual JRCLS Conference. We're flying from Phoenix, Arizona so it will be a long trip that includes a layover in Denver, which makes the trip even longer.  As I was contemplating this trip and this WIL blog, an idea came to me: why not put daily updates about the Conference on this blog.

Official Conference events start tomorrow, Thursday, February 14th (Happy Valentine's Day).  They begin with leadership meetings in the afternoon and social events that evening. Friday is packed full of  meetings and events, beginning with our Women in Law breakfast.  127 people (110 women and 17 men) registered to attend the breakfast.  We are looking forward to that in particular.  Presentations and events continue on Saturday.  The Conference ends Saturday at 2:00pm.  We'll be flying back to Phoenix on Saturday evening.

We'll see how this idea of daily posts works out.  I just thought it might give each of you a taste of the Conference and a feel for what happens at these annual events.  Maybe it will even inspire some of you to attend next year's Conference in Kansas City.

Game Plan for WIL Committee

As promised, here is the game plan. 

As a WIL Committee, we are going to be working on two things.  First, trying to help each JRCLS chapter have at least one woman on their board, and if they do, help them establish WIL sections within their own chapters.

Second, have this WIL blog be a major part of what we do.  Through this blog, we are going to address specific issues and concerns in seven different focus groups.  The seven groups are:  

• Full time practice; 
• Part time practice; 
• On hiatus (women attorneys who have stopped practicing temporarily, permanently or are trying to get back into the practice); 
• Practicing with children at home; 
• Students (which will include high school and undergraduate students who are thinking about attending law school, law school students and those thinking about returning to the world of education by attending law school); 
• Using your law degree in  your community and family; and, 
• Singles (unmarried, divorced or widowed female attorneys and the issues they confront in their lives and practices).

We’d also like to regularly use this blog to highlight you: women of faith who have been trained in the law.  You are doing great things--in the courtroom, in your community and in your home.   Getting to know each other better will strengthen each of us individually as well as strengthen us as a whole.  If you know anyone you think we should highlight, please let us know at nanbarker@gmail.com.

We are thrilled to be serving you.  Don’t forget to let us know how we can help!

Inaugural Brunch for WIL in Denver

The Denver, Colorado, chapter of the JRCLS is pleased to announce the inaugural event for its Women in the Law group in the Denver area. The brunch will be held at the home of Carol Warnick on Saturday, April 28, from 12:30 - 2:00 pm in Greenwood Village. For more information, including location of the brunch, please email Verily Stephenson: sverily@yahoo.com.

Kudos to the Denver organizers of this event. This blog would be pleased to publish news of all WIL events, wherever held.

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THANKS!

WHO YOU ARE
It's been four months since this blog was midwifed into being by Heather Takahashi (Los Angeles), attended by hopeful WIL Committee members. Since then, we've been happily astonished to discover that the blog has been sampled by readers in Moscow, London, Sydney, West Africa, South Africa, Denmark, Norway, Germany, Japan, Peru, France, Tasmania, and all across the United States. We feel kinship with you. We share some interests, some worries, some hopes.

Just knowing you are out there feeds our store of energy to carry on.

The blog has had about 2,000 visits, and almost 5,000 page views.

Thank you for reading.

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