Breaking the Glass Ceiling: Exploring the Continued Existence of Gender Bias in the Legal Profession and Understanding How it Can Change - -

NYU School of Law's First Annual Law Women Symposium

The New York University Law Women invites you to attend its inaugural annual symposium. This symposium will address contemporary legal developments and issues affecting women in the law. We aim to examine the reasons why gender bias still exists in legal private practice, to offer potential avenues of reform, and to empower women to achieve their potential in the legal field. The discussion will focus on the striking statistics of high-level women in private practice, especially women with children, and will explore the role of gender discrimination law, the economic downturn, and the choice by women and firms to promulgate the status quo. This all day event is comprised of three panel discussions, featuring several prominent practitioners and academics, as well as a keynote speaker.

AGENDA

Registration

8:30 AM - 9:00 AM

Opening Remarks

9: 00 AM - 9:15 AM

Rebecca Francus and Nicole Escobar, Co-Chairs, NYU Law Women

Keynote Address

9:15 AM - 10:00 AM

Jean Molino, General Counsel, McKinsey and Company

Panel 1: The Ground Floor - The Interaction Between Employment Law and Firm Policies

10:00 AM - 11:45 AM

This panel will seek to show how employment, anti-discrimination, and sexual harassment law interact with law firm policies in creating pathways and impediments for women in the legal field.

Moderator:

Cynthia Estlund, Catherine A. Rein Professor of Employment Law, New York University School of Law

Participants:

Janice Goodman '71, Law Firm of Janice Goodman
Manar Morales, Executive Director, Project for Attorney Retention
Joanna L. Grossman, Sidney and Walter Siben Distinguished Professor of Family Law, Hofstra Law School

Lunch Break

11:45 AM - 1:00 PM

Panel 2: Bridging the Divide Between Firm Expectations and Women's Choice

1:00 PM - 2:45 PM

This panel will explore the interaction between the glass ceiling and the expectations law firms place on their attorneys - specifically focused on review of work product, billable hour requirements, and promotions.

Moderator:

Deborah Epstein Henry, Esq., Founder & President, Law & Reorder, A Division of Flex-Time Lawyers LLC

Participants:

Roberta D. Liebenberg, Senior Partner, Fine, Kaplan and Black, RPC.; Chair, ABA Task Force of Gender Equity
Sheila L. Birnbaum, Partner, Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP
Lauren Stiller Rikleen, President, Rikleen Institute for Strategic Leadership; Executive-in-Residence, Boston College Center for Work & Family
Vivia Chen, Chief Blogger, The Careerist; Senior Writer, The American Lawyer

Coffee Break

2:45 PM - 3:00 PM

Panel 3: Gavel to the Glass: Strategies for Reform

3:00 PM - 4:45 PM

This panel will illustrate ways in which law firm policies can be reformed, including the potential success of modified affirmative action and employment law initiatives.

Moderator:

Lauren Stiller Rikleen, President, Rikleen Institute for Strategic Leadership; Executive-in-Residence, Boston College Center for Work & Family

Participants:

Laurin Blumenthal Kleiman, Partner, Sidley Austin LLP
Stephanie A. Scharf, Partner, Scharf Banks Marmor LLC; President, National Association of Women Lawyers
Ellen Ostrow, Founding Principal, Lawyers Life Coach LLC
Marilyn Sobel, Partner, Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP

Closing Remarks

4:45 PM - 5:00 PM

Melissa Siegel & Jennifer Gautier, Symposium Co-Chairs, NYU Law Women