"First Chairs at Trial: More Women Need Seats at the Table," the highly regarded research conducted by Partner Stephanie Scharf, and co-author Roberta Liebenberg on the topic of women as lead counsel, was the subject of a special Symposium held at the United States Courthouse in Chicago on April 21, 2016. The Symposium, Women Lawyers in the Courtroom, was sponsored by the United States District Court as well as the Chicago Bar Association. As the lead-off speaker, Ms. Scharf explained the design and results of the research and then joined Ms. Liebenberg, in a discussion moderated by Sharon Jones, about the recommended best practices for law firms, law schools, judges, bar associations and individual lawyers to increase the number of women trial lawyers. Other panels at the Symposium addressing these topics included a group of nationally prominent chief legal officers, a panel of federal district court and state court judges, a panel of jury specialists, and a panel of trial lawyers. The Symposium was hosted by Chief Judge Ruben Castillo and co-hosted by Judge Amy St. Eve of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois and Patricia Holmes, President of the Chicago Bar Association.
