WITL Seminar Will Include Exciting and Practical Interactive Program on Overcoming Gender Stereotypes by Authors and Attorneys, Al Harris and Andie Kramer
I’m excited to hear these two speakers, husband and wife lawyer power couple, lead us in an interactive program on overcoming implicit gender bias in the workplace on Thursday January 22nd in the afternoon called: “Rewrite the Script: Overcoming the Gender Stereotypes That Are Holding You Back in Your Career.” It is shocking to me that in 2017, female attorneys are paid less, hold fewer management positions, and first-chair fewer trials than their male counterparts. In this informative and engaging session, participants will role play, strategize over key scenarios, and develop an integrated series of communication techniques to recognize and overcome gender stereotypes and the implicit biases they create.
Women define career success in a wide variety of ways. I took ten years off to raise my two children before coming back to the law full time. At the time, I was looked down upon by other female lawyers as “giving up” my career, but I knew I would get back on the saddle again. My return was not easy. Ultimately for me, overcoming gender bias meant overcoming the motherhood penalty when I returned to the workplace, a penalty that plagued me in “big law” for several years before I started my woman-owned law firm. Whatever a woman's personal choice and path, there is no question that her career is affected by pervasive, sometimes unconscious, gender stereotypes. I’m excite to hear Al and Andie speak because they assert that women don't need to change who they are to succeed in their chosen careers, and they certainly don't need to act more like men. They assert that instead women need to be attuned to the negative gender stereotypes that surround them, anticipate the biases these stereotypes foster, and actively manage them as they would any other potential roadblocks to their career goals. Al and Andie base their advice on personal experiences as business leaders and practicing attorney. They have been involved in compensation and hiring decisions, extensive mentoring activities, and numerous scientific and academic studies. You can find their book, Breaking Through Bias: Communication Techniques for Women to Succeed at Work, online.
Alton B. Harris is a founding partner of Ungaretti & Harris, now a part of Nixon Peabody LLP. He served for many years as managing partner and then as a member of his firm's Executive and Compensation Committees. Through these roles, Al has extensive experience mentoring and evaluating women as they move up the career ladder.
Andrea S. Kramer is a partner in the international firm of McDermott Will & Emery, where she has served on both her firm's Management Committee and Compensation Committee. She is nationally recognized as an advocate for women's advancement and an authority on gender communication.