The Atlanta Bar Women in the Profession Section (WIP) has wrapped up another successful board year! WIP is dedicated to furthering the practice and perception of law, with a focus on issues unique to women in the legal field. Throughout the 2017-2018 board year, WIP organized continuing education courses, community service opportunities, and networking events for its members.

On March 8th, International Women’s Day, the Women in the Profession Section hosted a networking social and games night at Ormsby’s in West Atlanta. The event had a great turn-out and was lots of fun; two lucky attendees won an evening at TopGolf for themselves and a guest! Special thanks to Exponent and Myra Dyer for sponsoring the evening.

April was a busy month for the Women in the Profession section! The organization Foreverfamily honored WIP for its continued support and sponsorship. The group presented the section with an award of recognition at its Cheers4Kids fundraising event at Red Brick Brewing Company on April 7th. Later in April, WIP co-hosted a social with the Atlanta Bar Association’s Sole Practitioner / Small Firm section at Fado’s Irish Pub in Buckhead.

On May 5th, WIP section members, Atlanta Bar President Maggie Vath, and other supporters gathered at Lenox Square for the Susan G. Komen More than Pink fundraising walk. The event raised more than $800,000 for breast cancer research and awareness and other local health initiatives. (If you are interested in joining us next year, visit https://komenatlanta.org/ and look for the team name “Women in the Profession & Breast Cancer Legal Project”.)

In June, Women in the Profession board members were excited to bestow the section’s annual Outstanding Woman in the Profession award upon Joyce Gist Lewis, an esteemed attorney and a long-time WIP supporter. The group presented Joyce with the award during its formal luncheon on June 13th at the Capital City Club in Downtown Atlanta. Most recently, on July 17th, WIP co-hosted a networking event with the Cobb Women of the Bar at Terrapin Taproom and Fox Brothers BBQ at SunTrust Stadium. The event coincided with the televised MLB All-Star game.

While the 2017-2018 board year may be over, the Women in the Profession section is looking forward to a couple of upcoming events on the calendar. On September 26, 8:00-10:00AM, WIP and JAMS will be co-hosting its annual mediation breakfast CLE. This year’s program is “Women in the Workplace: Resolving Harassment Claims in the #MeToo Era.” We look forward to seeing you there! We are also working on a number of other networking events and educational programs – stay tuned for details.

If you would like to receive the latest WIP updates and event details, you can follow us on Facebook at @AtlantaBarWIP, on Twitter at @AtlantaBar using the hashtag #AtlantaBarWIP, or on LinkedIn at “Atlanta Bar Women in the Profession Section.” 

Finally, the Women in the Profession Section would like to thank and acknowledge all of our sponsors for the 2017-2018 board year: Exponent, Huff Powell Bailey, JAMS, and The Saylor Law Firm LLP.

Women in the Profession Section 2017-2018 Board of Directors:

Kimberly Charles, Chair

Megan Hodgkiss, Chair-Elect

Laurie Rashidi-Yazd, Secretary

Lisa Liang, Treasurer

Kristy Barnhart, Member at Large

Meredith Carter, Member at Large

Jenny Case, Member at Large

Sarah Siedentopf, Member at Large

Emily Ward, Member at Large

Sarah White, Member at Large