We Need More Power Broads By Sharon A. Balsamo May 20, 2010, 5:47 PM
That's what the audience heard from a panel of seven distinguished women lawyers, all of whom denied being a trailblazer despite the title of Thursday afternoon's program, "Women Trailblazers in the Law." Each of the panelists told of their career paths, how mentors, bar activities, and other women in power helped them achieve career success. All of the women acknowledged the legal profession is much more receptive to women achieving success now than it was perhops thirty or forty years ago. But they also all acknowledged there can still be challenges. But don't be afraid to meet the challenges, they said. "Women in a position of authority beget other women in positions of authority," said one panelist. The advancement of women in the courts under Justice Poritz's leadership was praised as an example of that. When someone offers an opportunity, they said, say "yes" even if it seems a bit risky. You just might surprise yourself. Four former women bar association presidents and the Association's soon-to-be president-elect also talked about achieving success within the bar association and maneuvering through bar politics ("there is politics everywhere, whether its in the bar, in your firm, etc.") to finally make it to the Association's officer ranks, and they encouraged audience members to become "power broads" -- a reference to what women association members called themselves as they worked to get the first, and the second, woman to successfully break through the Association's officer ranks. Get noticed. Get out of your comfort zone, panelists said. Women need to work together to get other women in power. And in the end, an audience member raised a question about the women who came after -- what will we be saying next year about them?
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