On September 24, 2021 Fordham Law School will launch its inaugural Leadership Academy for Women in Law: RISE—Resilient, Inspired, Strategic, Empowered. Program speakers are drawn from women lawyers in leadership positions throughout the profession, as well as male allies.
The program will be offered via Zoom for one-hour sessions each Friday morning from September 24 through November 19, from 8:00 a.m. – 9:15 a.m. (presentations), followed by optional breakout sessions from 9:15 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. where participants can share reflections and experiences amongst themselves.
The Leadership Academy for Women in Law: RISE—Resilient, Inspired, Strategic, Empowered, is part of Fordham Law School’s overall strategy to promote diversity in the legal profession. More than 100 years ago, Fordham Law was founded to expand opportunity for those who had traditionally been excluded from the legal profession and continues to focus on this important goal. In 2018, the school celebrated the 100-year anniversary of women at Fordham Law School. This program will serve as a resource to facilitate and support equal representation of women in all areas of the legal profession.
“The program provides the opportunity for women lawyers and male allies to come together to learn essential skills to enhance and fulfill their leadership potential, to engage in important conversations about equity and inclusion, and to empower women and men to actively advance the profession of law in the vital area of diversity and inclusion,” said Toni Jaeger-Fine, co-director of the program and assistant dean at Fordham Law School.
“We are enormously proud of this initiative,” said Matthew Diller, the dean of Fordham Law School. “We are especially gratified to see so many of our graduates as speakers in the program, which demonstrates the integral role Fordham lawyers play within the profession generally as well as their commitment and contribution to advancing a more diverse and inclusive profession.”
Fordham Law alumni participating in the program include Gillian Groarke Burns, Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP (J.D. 2006); Maria-Leticia Ossa Daza, Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP (LL.M. 2009); Deneen L. Donnley, Consolidated Edison Company of New York (J.D. 1992); Palmina M. Fava, Vinson & Elkins LLP (J.D. 1997); Louise Firestone, LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton Inc. (J.D. 1985); Rosevelie Márquez Morales, Hogan Lovells (J.D. 2002); Lucy Onyeforo, Dorsey & Whitney LLP (LL.M. 2017); Stacey J. Rappaport, Milbank LLP (J.D. 1996); Khadijah Sharif-Drinkard, ABC News (J.D. 1997).
The program will kick-off on September 24 with a keynote presentation by Deborah N. Archer, President, American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU); Professor of Clinical Law, NYU School of Law; Co-Faculty Director, Center on Race, Inequality, and the Law. In the following seven successive weeks, a panel of women leaders and male allies will present on the following topics:
- Giving and Receiving—Role Models, Mentors, and Sponsors
- Leadership Skills and Strategies, and Your Professional Persona
- Family, Flexibility, and Flight—Keeping Women Lawyers in the Profession
- The Importance of Male Allies
- Women in the House—Corporate Counsel Speak
- Promoting Diversity
- Take Care and Be Well—Effective Tools and Strategies for Wellbeing
The final week will provide an opportunity for participants to reflect on and share what they have learned and strategies for advancing the role of women in the profession.
“We are seeking to create a program and a platform where lawyers from across the U.S. and around the world can come together to learn and help each other navigate these important subjects,” said Laura Shields, co-director of the program and a director in the Office of International and Non-J.D. Programs at Fordham Law School. “We hope these discussions can inspire continued change domestically and across the globe.”
Fordham Law hopes to make this program a regular feature and continue these important discussions annually. Detailed information about the program can be found on the program’s webpage.
About Fordham Law School
Situated in New York City, the global epicenter of business and culture, Fordham Law School cultivates the collaborative community, intellectual curiosity, professional craft, and commitment to service vital to creating lawyers and legal scholars who can move our profession, society and world forward. Follow Fordham Law School on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and Instagram.