Women in Law Luncheon, July 2007

On July 18, 2007, as part of its monthly series of events, the Patton Boggs Women's Forum proudly hosted a luncheon featuring Karen Lockwood, immediate past President of the Women's Bar Association of the District of Columbia. Firm Partner Penny Farthing introduced Karen, who, in her capacity as President of the WBA, oversaw the organization's Initiative on Advancement and Retention of Women.

The Initiative focused on three questions:

1. What do firms and women perceive to be the stumbling blocks to success in moving more women farther, faster?

2. What are firms already doing to keep and promote women?

3. How can the answers to those questions be used to discern new ideas and better ways to retain women in the practice of law?

Patton Boggs was a "Gold" sponsor of the Initiative, which involved a four-month effort to draw law firm leaders into a cooperative exchange with experts, sponsoring firms, and female attorneys. The Initiative culminated in publication of a report entitled Creating Pathways to Success - Advancing and Retaining Women in Today's Law Firms. This report was one of the first efforts - if not the first effort - to identify specific barriers that exist for women in law firms and, most importantly, to look for and identify solutions.

In her presentation to the Women's Forum, Karen discussed the WBA's Initiative and the report's findings, and gave her perspective on some of the challenges women face in advancing in law firm practice. She encouraged the group to brainstorm barriers - formal and informal, internal and external - to achieving success in a law firm setting. She also led the group through an interactive exchange about strategies law firms in general, and Patton Boggs in particular, might consider to achieve greater success in retaining and advancing women. The program was very interactive with much participation from the audience.

Event Photos

Women's Forum participants (left to right): Ethel Branch, summer associate; Jennifer Maree, WBADC president-elect; and Linda Santiago, paralegal intern




Partner Penny Farthing, Speaker Karen Lockwood, Women's Forum Co-Chair Anne Spiggle (left to right)