Distinguished lawyers from all sectors of the legal profession gathered at Harvard Law School on Nov. 8, 2017 to discuss a problem that has affected the legal profession for decades —experienced women leaving the legal profession in substantial numbers. The National Summit on Achieving Long-Term Careers for Women in the Law focused on the unique issues and career dynamics facing women lawyers in practice for more than 20 years, and explored the reasons for their disproportionately high rate of attrition. The Summit was part of a year-long ABA Presidential Initiative, which is co-chaired by Partner Stephanie Scharf, Chair of the ABA Commission on Women, and Roberta D. Liebenberg, senior partner, Fine Kaplan & Black, RPC and past chair of the Commission on Women. Harvard Law School Executive Education hosted the Summit.
Ms. Scharf is a national authority on issues related to women’s advancement in the law. She is the co-author of First Chairs at Trial: More Women Need Seats at the Table. From 2006 to 2014 Ms. Scharf directed and reported on the National Association of Women Lawyer’s Annual Survey of Retention and Promotion of Women in Law Firms. Ms. Scharf is a former President of the National Association of Women. She is also a member of the Board of DirectWomen, a national organization whose mission is to increase the number of women lawyers on corporate boards.
For further information on the ABA’s Presidential Initiative on Achieving Long-Term Careers for Women in the Law, please click here.
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Left to right: Roberta Liebenberg, Co-chair of the American Bar Association Summit; John Manning, Dean of Harvard Law School; Hilarie Bass, President of the American Bar Association; Stephanie Scharf, Chair of the American Bar Association Commission on Women, at the Opening Reception of the Summit.
