This has been an exciting year for the Women’s Bar Association (WBA) as we continued to work together to continue to advance women in the legal profession and give back to our community.
The WBA has had the opportunity to participate and plan lots of exciting events over the past few months, including attending the WLAM Regional Meeting in East Lansing and presenting at events hosted by WMU Cooley Law School’s Organization of Women Law Students (OWLS), Wayne Law’s Women’s Law Caucus, and University of Detroit Mercy’s Women’s Law Caucus.
Our presentations at the various law schools focused on pertinent issues for women in the law. The topics included work life balance (or lack thereof!), finding your own personal/professional branding, and a fireside chat detailing exam tips and tools for law school students. These educational programs allowed us to expand our resources as the WBA and hopefully provide some meaningful materials for our constituents. We are also in the process of strengthening our pipeline process and mentoring program by developing authentic and continuing relationships with our law students.
We also hosted a fun fall event at Long’s Cider Mill in Commerce that allowed for members and their families to informally mingle and enjoy the season. The weather was blustery but gorgeous.
Furthermore, we also had an incredibly enriching event featuring Sister Helen Prejean, CSJ, who is the author of Dead Man Walking and founder of the Ministry Against the Death Penalty. Previously, the WBA had read Dead Man Walking as part of our book club. Our organization was so greatly moved and inspired by Sister Prejean’s efforts and fortitude, we started brainstorming to see if we could bring her in as a speaker. Thanks to the tenacious efforts of President-Elect Stephanie Brochert and Treasurer Brittany Mouzourakis, Sister Prejean was secured as a speaker and gave a powerful presentation, along with an informative Q & A session.
Our next event was joint collaboration with WLAM Wayne for Legal Libations honoring Judge Breeda O’Leary of the 29th District Court. Judge O’Leary spoke of the importance of women in the law and supporting women in the profession. For those who were able to attend, it was a night of fun networking, support, and collaboration. Many thanks to Kristin Fernandez (Recording Secretary) who facilitated this event with Wayne.
The WBA has also been busy at work with a pro bono project assisting “Operation Good Cheer.” For 50 years, Operation Good Cheer has been dedicated to making Christmas wishes would come true for children (and also adults) in foster care. Our very own Vice President Nicole Gettler spearheaded the project and ensured we adopted six individuals. After carefully studying their interests and wishes, she set out and accomplished all this. She shopped, wrapped, and delivered the gifts, all with the intent that hopefully she was making the lives of others better.
Finally, the year culminated in a modest virtual holiday party complete with a book swap and festive recipes for beverages. It was a great time to take a moment out of our busy schedules and socialize. We also had our monthly book club where we read and discussed “Geisha, A Life” by Mineko Iwasaki.
Our upcoming events include our monthly board meeting on January 5, 2022, where all are welcomed to attend. We will also have our monthly Bar Briefs and book club in January. We also have exciting plans in the works concerning educational programming, some big-ticket social functions, and great opportunities for our members. Be sure to sign up for our email list and follow us on social media to become involved with the WBA!
