SAVE THE DATE: CAFA TRAINING MAY 21, 2007
TCWLA will provide a full day (6 hours) CLE/ training course for attorneys who serve as ad litems for children and court appointed counsel for adults in guardianship and child protective services cases. The Court Appointed Family Advocates (or “CAFA”) course will be presented on May 21st at the offices of Winstead PC, located at 401 Congress Avenue, Suite 2100.
Speakers and specific topics TBD. The cost will be $80 for TCWLA members and $100 for non- members. If you have topics you would like covered and/or would like to volunteer to be a speaker, please contact Paige Castañeda at pcastaneda@winstead.com or Cameron Vann at cvann@advocacyinc.org
FROM THE PRESIDENT
This month I’d like to start off by welcoming our two newest additions to the TCWLA Board: our new Publicity Chair, Elizabeth Poole, and our new CLE Co-Chair,CameronVann. Elizabethwas most recently with the Women’s Advocacy Project and is transitioning to anewpractice. Cameroniswith Advocacy, Inc. and will be helping her Co-Chair, Paige Castaneda, to conceive, organize and present our new day-long CLE seminar this May.
Speaking of the CLE seminar, make sure to check out the save-the-date announcement on page one and look for more details on the program to be sent to members in an email this month. We will also post details on our website, www.tcwla.org. WithTravisCounty requiring 30 hours of CAFA training these days and so few hours currently
March 2007
being offered in the area, we look forward to helping fill the gap and assist the people serving such an important function in our legal system.
Our regular meeting this month is another CLE program — this one on estate planning. Last month’s CLE by David Sheppard on what to do when friends/clients/loved ones (and hopefully never ourselves!) find themselvesintheTravisCountyjail. I had no idea what was involved in getting someone out of jail and having the tips (and even phone list and maps) that David shared with us will certainly make us feel more like the knowledgeable attorneys we are when someone asks us for this kind of help. There was such a great turn out for last months’s meeting and I look forward to seeing even more of you at our April meeting.
Finally, we are hard at work on our over- arching mission of promoting women in the profession and equal access to justice forwomen,childrenandfamilies. Our TCWLA and TCWLF boards had a joint meeting at the end of March at which we very carefully selected the non-profit organizations who will be the
2007 recipients of grants from our Foundation. We also selected the winnersofthe2007attorneyawards. Grant recipients and award winners are currently being notified. We will announce the names in next months’ newsletters and we will honor them all at our Annual Awards and Grants Luncheon on June 15th.
Warmest Regards,
Joelle Boehle
TCWLA President
April Happy Hour
Watch your email for more information about our April 18th “Makeover” Happy Hour at Julian Gold! We’re putting together a night of fun and fashion, with author Cathy O’Neill and her new book, “Baby proofing Your Marriage,” and a special fashion show for TCWLA members only sponsored by Julian Gold, with special guests from the WNBA team San Antonio Silver Stars!
Meet Your Board Member: Cameron Vann
Practice Area: Americans with Disabilities Act Employer: Advocacy, Inc.
Education: Born and raised in Dallas, Texas. Bachelor’s in Education at UniversityofTexasatAustin,Master’sinEducationAdministrationat University of Houston and Doctor of Jurisprudence at University of Houston College of Law
Employment: LegislativeAssistantinWashington,D.C.;Teacher,Middle School Assistant Principal and High School Grade Level Principal in Spring Branch ISD, Houston; Solo Practitioner in Houston with probate, family, and mediation practice until retirement in 2003; after four years of travel and volunteer work, employed by Advocacy, Inc., non-profit representing persons with physical and mental disabilities
Organizations: PastPresidentofHoustonAssociationofWomenAttorneys and River Oaks Rotary; Board Member of Assistance League of Houston, Houston West Chamber, The Professional Group, Animal Friends of Washington County, Washington-on-the-Brazos Park Association, Women’s Leadership Forum
Family: Husband Charlie is retired High School Principal, son in Los Angeles and daughter in D. C. Lives on ranch in Washington-on-the-Brazos (near Brenham) now weekends only and Austin during week. Lots of animals – cattle, horses, goats, dogs, cat and pot-belly pig. Operates Barrington Bed and Breakfast since 1994, www.barringtonbb.com
Lost in Translation: Deciphering What Clients Want
At this summer’s ABA Annual Meeting in San Francisco from August 9-14, TCWLA is a Co- Sponsor of the program entitled “Lost in Translation: What do Clients Really Want?” The program description is as follows: As corporate clients consolidate and law firms merge, dissolve, and remake themselves, the core questions remain the same:
What is a prospective client really looking for in a beauty contest on a complex piece of litigation?
How can we distinguish our firm from the multitude of others for the in-house lawyers who are making the hiring decision?
Once we are on board, how do we keep clients happy so they become return customers?
The era of the “old boys’ network” is gone, or as some have said, “It’s not your father’s ABA.” In its place is not only a demographic diversity among clients, but different and constantly-emerging views on the answers to these questions. Listen to speakers address their hiring priorities from an ever-developing perspective. Learn how lawyers and their firms can become part of a client’s “magic circle” in this new era. Find out that diversity is about more than mere demographics.
Women’s Giving Network Fosters Philanthropy, Leadership, among Austin Women
The Austin professional landscape is full of stars – stars, that is, in the form of successful, active female professionals. A group of such women has emerged and is united in their goal to give back to their community. The Women’s Giving Network (WGN) is affiliated with the United Way Capital Area – and its mission is to create a powerful female-driven philanthropic force in Central Texas. In doing so, WGN will play a key role in addressing the issues that are critical to the health and potential of our community.
Founded in October 2003, WGN has more than 150 members, each of whom contributes annually to United Way Capital area. WGN hosts regular educational, volunteer and social events for its members, all the while raising money to advance the community agenda and foster local female leaders in philanthropy. In recent years, WGN has focused on such issues as early childhood education, children’s health, and the citywide 211 helpline to make a positive community impact. In addition to these programs, the WGN Volunteer Initiative enables members to reach out and enhance their financial investments in the community. WGN can provide customized volunteer projects for companies and/or women’s groups. All volunteer opportunities will be directed to making the greatest possible community impact.
WGN would like to invite all interested TCWLA members to a speaker luncheon on April 25th. The luncheon will be held at 12:00 at Sullivan’s Steak House downtown. Our featured guest speaker will be Dr. Aletha Huston, Regents Professor of Child Development and Associate Director of the Population Research Center at the University of Texas at Austin. Lunch discussion will cover topics including the effects of poverty on children and the impact of child care and income support policies on children’s development. At the luncheon, the 2007 Child Well-Being Report Card for Austin/Travis County will also be presented. This “report card” highlights the results of the United Way Capital Area’s Success by 6 program to foster early childhood education.
If you are interested in attending this event or learning about other, upcoming WGN events, please contact Susan Marler, Manager of the Women’s Giving Network, at 512.225.0371 or susan.marler@unitedwaycapitalarea.org. Feel free to visit www.unitedwaycapitalarea.org/wgn for more information about United Way Capital Area and the Women’s Giving Network.
MS.JD LAUNCHES WEBSITE
WOMEN FROM 12 TOP LAW SCHOOLS UNVEIL A NEW BLOG: WWW.MS-JD.ORG
One year ago, Ms. JD was an idea shared by a group of law students from around the country. Politically, racially, and geographically diverse, these women were all concerned by the rates at which women opt out of the legal profession, the lack of representation of women in the highest courts and echelons of the legal community, and the role of gender in the progression of many women’s legal careers. Since then they’ve raised funds from law schools and law firms including Yale, Michigan, Stanford, UCLA, Latham Watkins, Cooley Goodward, Paul Weiss, and Wilkie Farr & Gallagher. Today Ms. JD is an interactive blog featuring posts from women lawyers, students, and their allies from around the country.
Who is Ms. JD?
Ms. JD provides a forum for dialogue and networking among women lawyers and law students. Ms. JD is a nonprofit, nonpartisan community founded by a group of law students from around the country. Contributors are dedicated to reinforcing and expanding the representation of women in law school and the legal profession.
Ms. JD seeks to improve the experiences of women in law school and the legal profession. Obstacles to equal participation hinder not only women in the law but also their colleagues, clients, children, and communities. Ms. JD consequently strives to give voice to why it matters that women continue to face these barriers. In doing so, Ms. JD spreads the word: women’s victories are everyone’s victories.
Already students and practitioners have filled the site with posts. Featured bloggers include Professor Barbara Babcock, Slate Magazine writer Dahlia Lithwick, Judge Dorothy W. Nelson, legal pioneer Shirley Hufstedler, Professor Herma Hill Kay, and Judge Deanell Reece Tacha.
For more information, visit www.ms-jd.org.
March 31st Launch Conference: Legally Female – What Does it Mean to be Ms. JD?
Scheduled speakers and panelists to include, keynote speaker Judge Janet Bond Arterton, Judge Nancy Gertner, Deborah Epstein Henry, Deborah Rhode, Vicki Schultz, and Joan Williams.
For more information, email ms-jd@legallyfemale.org or visit http://legallyfemale.typepad.com/.
CONTACT: Elizabeth Pederson (775) 250-3667 president@ms-jd.org
TCWLA Membership has its privileges!
It is that time of year again – Travis County Women Lawyers Association annual membership drive. Please renew or join today by filling out and mailing in the attached membership form with your $40 annual dues, or see www.tcwla.org for payment by PayPal/credit card.
TCWLA is a diverse group of women lawyers who practice in Travis County. The benefits of membership, to name a few, are:
• Member discount at CLE Seminar for Training Court Appointed Family Advocates on May 21st, 2007.
• Free Monthly Meetings and FREE CLE
• Our annual TCWLA Awards Luncheon on June 15, 2007, where we recognize our 2007 scholarship recipients, award grants to non-profit organizations in Travis County that provide direct legal services to women and children in need, and present awards to female attorneys practicing in Travis County who have achieved professional milestones during the past year.
• MORE CLE – upcoming events: a spring CLE seminar for attorneys representing children and parents in Child Protective Services cases and continued rental of our DVD CLE program entitled “A Day in Federal Court: An Introduction to Federal Court Practice.
• Fellowship, business referrals, networking, support systems, pro bono opportunities, giving back to the community, general camaraderie…
For more information about TCWLA, log onto our website at www.tcwla.org or feel free to contact one of us. We are looking forward to seeing you in 2007!
Joelle Schulze Boehle, TCWLA President Gavra Flood, membership co-chair
Ellen Stewart, membership co-chair
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