Committees & Forums: Stars of the Bar 2020: Celebrating Champions of Suffrage

20+ Experts

The 20+ Years of Expertise Committee provides programming focused on women who are veterans in the legal profession and are experts in their area of practice.

Amicus Committee

The Amicus Committee supports the law that promotes issues important to women.

Career Development and Mentoring Committee

The Career Development Committee focuses on networking, career enhancement, career alternatives, and job search techniques. The Committee focuses on providing career-enhancing opportunities and information.

Communications & Technology Law Forum

The Communications Law Forum presents programs on substantive communications issues, hosts panels about careers in communications law, and offers opportunities for members to network with leaders in the industry.

Community Projects Committee

The Community Projects Committee provides a vehicle for attorneys to assist local community organizations through fundraising and volunteer service efforts.

Diversity Committee

The Diversity Committee promotes greater inclusion of ethnically, religiously, LBT, and culturally diverse women attorneys at all levels of the legal profession by offering programs to address issues related to real and perceived barriers to advancement, and the unique challenges that diverse women attorneys face daily. We will accomplish this through heightening awareness and promotion of the intrinsic value that women from diverse backgrounds offer.

Employment Law Forum

The Employment Law Forum plans programs to advance the professional development of practitioners in the substantive areas of labor, employment and employee benefits law, as well as to educate them on litigation practice and procedure issues. This committee provides the members of the WBA working in these areas an opportunity to share topical information, participate in substantive presentations, and create a social and professional network.

Energy & Environmental Law Forum

The Energy and Environmental Law Forum plans programs to advance the professional development of practitioners in the substantive areas of environmental law and to educate them on environmental litigation, regulatory counseling, and enforcement. The Forum also provides informational programs on energy laws, regulations, and policies. This committee provides WBA members working in these areas an opportunity to share topical information, participate in substantive presentations, and create and expand a social and professional network.

Executive and Judicial Endorsements Committee

The Executive and Judicial Endorsements Committee carefully evaluates candidates seeking WBA’s endorsement, focusing on the candidates’ qualifications, integrity, communications skills, temperament, experience, scholarship and commitment to the concepts of equal opportunity and equal justice under the law.

Government Attorneys Forum

The Government Attorneys Forum is intended to promote the discussion of issues that are of interest to female attorneys who work for Federal, state, and local governments, including employees of the legislative, executive, and judicial branches. The forum offers government attorneys opportunities to discuss pertinent issues, professional development, educational programs about government employment and benefits, and informational sessions for attorneys interested in government employment.

History and Archiving Committee

Immigration Law Forum

The Immigration Law Forum organizes networking and information programs for attorneys practicing or looking to get into immigration law.

In-house Counsel Forum

Litigation Forum

The Litigation Forum offers programs designed to develop the skills of both novice and experienced litigators and to provide opportunities to socialize with members of the judiciary and other attorneys. Programs address topics such as effective discovery techniques, trial preparation and practice, the use of jury consultants, computer technology for litigation and issues facing women litigators.

Membership Committee

The Membership Committee works to recruit new members and to develop and implement membership retention initiatives.

Non Profit Organizations Practice Forum

The Non-Profit Organization Practice Forum promotes the discussion of issues that are of interest to attorneys who represent non-profit organizations and attorneys who serve as in-house counsel for the organizations. The mission of the forum is to address the often-unique legal needs of the many non-profits in the DC area-which range from large educational institutions, to business trade groups, to the charitable foundations. The forum offers substantive programs on the legal issues affecting non-profits and also offers networking opportunities for lawyers who work for or represent clients in the non-profit sector.

Raising the Bar Editorial Board

The Raising the Bar Editorial Board edits and publishes six newsletters a year promoting the Women's Bar Association.

Social Media Committee

The Social Media Committee creates content for a strong social media presence, updates the social media policy, and hosts programs related to how best to use social media.

Solo and Small Practice Forum

The Solo and Small Practice Forum offers its members an opportunity to network with others who have similar professional interests. Activities include a Referral/Resource List, programs on how to get started in a solo practice, how to move a new practice from your home to an office, how to develop your client base, how to organize an office, how to hire an assistant and much more.

WBA Foundation

Description for Foundation: Founded in 1981, the mission of the WBA Foundation is to leverage the generosity of lawyers and friends to support nonprofits that serve the legal and related needs of women and girls in the DC Metropolitan community. To further this mission, the WBAF Foundation supports community non-profit organizations in the D.C. Metropolitan Area through its annual grant program. The WBAF also offers Founders Fellowship each year to an area law school to support a student who is pursuing a public interest summer internship to advance the legal interests of women and children.

Women and Finance

Women in Public Service/Politics

The Women in Politics Committee assists women interested in elected office by providing resources and information to WBA members who may be considering pursuing elected office or a related career in politics. We connect women elected officials at all levels of government with our members and non-members through networking events and informative programming. Much of our programming serves as a practical guide for women entering the field of politics with the goal of demystifying the process and increasing the number of women in politics throughout the country. We also aim to increase women’s participation in the political process, whether or not they aspire to a career in politics.

Working Parents/Lawyers at Home Committee

This committee provides working parents with informative programs that will further parents’ ability to balance family and career obligations. Forum addresses issues such as flexible work schedules, time management, communication between genders, and networking, all from the perspective of the busy working parent. Programs also provide parents with opportunities to exchange information and ideas for successfully balancing their many responsibilities. The Lawyers at Home portion of this group advances the interests of lawyers who have presently turned all, or a significant portion of their attention, from career to family.

Young Lawyers Committee

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