Small Law Firms

The Power Of Stories: RBG's Legacy And The Lawyer Mom Owner Virtual Summit

The Summit is a first-of-its-kind virtual event to celebrate and empower lawyer moms and all parents struggling to find balance between parenthood and practice in the pandemic.

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As the nation pays its respects to Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg this week, we remember her as much for her story as for her scholarship. How she dated and eventually married Martin Ginsburg, a man who actually cared that she had a brain and viewed her career as important as his own. How she was rejected from every law firm job that she applied to even though she graduated at the top of her class, and how that experience propelled her to make the jurisprudence of gender equality her life’s work. How she heroically stayed on the high court until her very last breath to protect the integrity of the Court and its precedent from unraveling.

In law school, we learn the law but not the stories behind it. So it’s not surprising that legal conferences run much the same way, where speaker after speaker discusses statutes and rules and precedent but rarely the backstory. Occasionally, lawyers will share more hands-on information, such as how they use a product or how they started a firm, but not so much as a story but as a “do it my way” guide to success.

Which is all well and good, but sometimes, I crave real stories. The kinds of late-night stories you shared with your roommates in college. The story about your first time on an airplane or the bongo drum player you met on the bus trip back to school or the stories of your dating history that you dole out bit by bit, when you’re falling in love. Those are the stories that move.

When Jeena Belil and I conceived the Lawyer Mom Owner Summit, we designed an event that would celebrate and empower women lawyers who are struggling to manage parenting and practice in the midst of a global pandemic. To this end, we created panels focused on practical topics like considerations related to running a firm remotely, or how to market when we can no longer meet colleagues or clients in person. And like Justice Ginsburg, who spoke openly about her family life, we also recognized that law intersects with life, and included sessions on personal finance and dealing with challenges of homeschooling and illness. The conference programming offers value to both women and men who are experiencing some of the same concerns.

But most importantly, we wanted to leave space for women to share their stories. Stories of challenge and struggle and success, and leaping at opportunity; and also failure and setbacks and feeling small. Stories of overcoming odds and sticking to principles and doing work that matters.

In the time since Ruth Bader Ginsburg attended law school, we’re still a long way from achieving gender equality in the legal profession. Bar association proclamations, law firm committees, and annual reports sharing the abysmal data have still failed to move the dial. Maybe our women’s stories will.

Some details on Lawyer Mom Owner Summit: The Summit is a first-of-its-kind virtual event to celebrate and empower lawyer moms and all parents struggling to find balance between parenthood and practice in the pandemic.

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Scheduled for September 30-October 1, the Summit will deliver two days of programming on topics related to law practice and life: Running a practice in the pandemic and marketing when you can’t meet clients IRL as well as getting control over financial planning and managing challenges like illness, homeschooling, and special needs education. In addition, recognizing that the pandemic and politically divisive environment have prompted personal introspection, the Summit features a panel on transitioning to other legal careers and women currently breaking barriers in law. The entire Summit will be recorded, and the sessions and all content will be available on an evergreen basis to anyone who registers before noon ET Tuesday, September 29. To register, click here. #LMO20

Carolyn Elefant has been blogging about solo and small firm practice at MyShingle.com since 2002 and operated her firm, the Law Offices of Carolyn Elefant PLLC, even longer than that. She’s also authored a bunch of books on topics like starting a law practice, social media, and 21st century lawyer representation agreements (affiliate links). If you’re really that interested in learning more about Carolyn, just Google her. The Internet never lies, right? You can contact Carolyn by email at elefant@myshingle.comor follow her on Twitter at @carolynelefant.

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