Bar Associations

Women in the Profession Summit at CLE Conference Center June 18

By Philadelphia Bar Association

The Women in the Profession Committee will hold its first Women in the Profession Summit at The CLE Conference Center on Wednesday, June 18. The summit will focus, in part, on the best practices for the retention and promotion of women lawyers and feature a keynote address by Charisse Lillie, vice president of human resources for Comcast Corporation and senior vice president of human resources for Comcast Cable. Summit attendees will receive two substantive and two ethics CLE credits.

Lynn Marks, executive director of Pennsylvanians for Modern Courts, will moderate the first CLE program "Women in the Courtroom — Communication Across the Gender Gap," featuring Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas Judges Frederica A. Massiah-Jackson and Marlene Lachman, U.S. District Court Senior Judge Norma L. Shapiro, U.S. Court of Appeals Judge Dolores K. Sloviter, U.S. District Court Judge Petrese B. Tucker and retired Judge Diane M. Welsh. The panel will discuss the different communication styles of women and men, both in and outside of the courtroom, throughout the litigation process, and include, among other things, a discussion of related findings from the Interbranch Commission for Gender, Racial and Ethnic Fairness, with respect to how women lawyers are perceived.

Kimberly Ruch-Alegant and Kelly Dobbs Bunting will moderate the next session, "Hot Topics for Women," with panelists Danielle Banks, co-chair of the Women in the Profession Committee, and a partner at Stradley Ronan Stevens & Young, LLP; Nancy O?Mara Ezold, of Nancy O'Mara Ezold, P.C.; Natalie Klyashtorny, of Nochumson P.C.; and Nicole Whittington of White and Williams LLP.

Maria Feeley, chair of the summit and co-chair of the Women in the Profession Committee, will moderate the next program featuring large law firm executive and managing partners on best practices for retention and promotion of women lawyers. Panelists will include J. Gordon Cooney Jr., Philadelphia managing partner, Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP; Thomas A. Decker, president and CEO, Cozen O?Connor; Patrick Dunican, chair and managing director, Gibbons P.C.; Nina Gussak, chair, Pepper Hamilton LLP; and John J. Soroko, chair and CEO, Duane Morris LLP.

Roberta Liebenberg will moderate the next CLE program that will feature corporate counsel on best practices for retention and promotion of women lawyers.Panelists will include Kamil Ali-Jackson, general counsel, Ception Therapeutics; Teresa Ciccotelli, divisional counsel, Saint Gobain Corp.; Wanda Flowers, chief counsel, Sunoco, Inc.; and Lorraine Koc, general counsel, Deb Shops.

Registration begins at 11 a.m. All attendees are invited to a cocktail reception following the program. Register online, or call PBI at (800) 932-4637.

Full post as published by Philadelphia Bar Association on April 07, 2008 (boomark / email).