The Women’s Bar Association of Illinois (WBAI), in conjunction with both the ISBA Standing Committee on Women and the Law and the Standing Committee on Minority and Women Participation, is very pleased to announce the development of a series of exciting and informative programs designed to spotlight various leadership issues which provide the strong foundation for a thriving, fulfilling and successful legal career. These groups have joined forces to co-sponsor the “Leadership Training Series,” which will consist of programs - held alternatively at the lunch hour and after work - on a monthly basis throughout the coming bar year. The best part is that these programs will be free of charge to both WBAI and ISBA members! 

The sensational kickoff session for this electrifying series of programs will take place on Wednesday, December 12th at Noon at the ISBA Chicago Regional Office, 20 S. Clark Street - 9th Floor. Vicki Kunkel, a nationally-acclaimed speaker, author and expert on mass appeal and persuasiveness, will present “Too Stupid,” “Too Emotional,” and “Too Uncommitted”: How to Overcome Stereotypes of Professional Women and Dance on Top of the Glass Ceiling Instead of Gazing Through it! This session will offer a provocative, how-to guide for overcoming the misperceptions which still plague women in the legal profession. Ms. Kunkel received the WBAI’s prestigious “Women With Vision” award in 2005 for her breakthrough research on the 12 primal factors of mass appeal, which she has used to teach lawyers how to win high-stakes cases. She has been quoted on over 200 media outlets such as AP Network News, CNBC, “Entrepreneur” Magazine and MSNBC as an expert on everything from what makes a persuasive courtroom appeal to what makes a song a hit. Her new book, “The Velcro Effect: How to Master Mass Appeal,” published by AMACOM, will be out in early 2008.

This is only the first session of what we know will be a ground-breaking series of programs. Future programs plan to address effective networking, successful negotiating skills, career development, and promotion of diversity. Watch the WBAI website at www.wbaillinois.org and the ISBA website at www.isba.org for further details on these upcoming sessions!

If you are interested in attending our kickoff program on December 12th, please RSVP with your contact information and bar association affiliation to the WBAI at wbai@wbaillinois.org. Lunch will be provided to all attendees compliments of our kickoff sponsor, the law firm of Corboy & Demetrio, P.C. Space is limited, so be sure to RSVP early! 

If you have any questions, comments or suggestions with respect to the Leadership Training Series of programs, please contact the Ledership Training Series coordinator, Michele Jochner, at mjochner@rcn.com. We look forward to seeing you on December 12th!