The Catalyst

The newsletter of the ISBA’s Standing Committee on Women and the Law

2001 Articles

ABA Commission on Women honors Laurel G. Bellows By Celia G. Gamrath October 2001 The ABA Commission on Women in the Profession presented one of its most prestigious honors--the Margaret Brent Award--to Chicago lawyer Laurel G. Bellows last month.
The aftermath of September 11th: recognizing women’s rights as an international issue By Amanda DeVincentis December 2001 What role shall we play in the aftermath of the September 11 terrorist attack? How do we struggle to not only find meaning after those events, but also work for the advancement of women's rights and an awareness of the plight of women internationally?
Appellate court receptions provide networking opportunities By Claire A. Manning December 2001 One of the goals of the ISBA's Standing Committee on Women and the Law is to "encourage women in their involvement in the legal community at all levels."
Book review: But words can never harm me—A review of Women Escaping Violence: Empowerment Through Narrative by Elaine Lawless By Sheila J. Simon December 2001 A few lucky attorneys learned about interviewing in law school, and a few more learned by watching more senior attorneys on the job.
Community outreach: Center for Conflict Resolution­ helping lawyers and clients resolve disputes without going to war By Julia C. Langfelder October 2001 When practicing family law, attorney Suzi Schrader battled with opposing counsel every day in court or in negotiations. She fought for the best outcome for her clients.
Community outreach: Good News Partners provides a variety of services—from housing to education and employment By Yolaine Dauphin December 2001 In 1976, a group of Northwestern University students and their pastor started to work with homeless and low-income people in Chicago's "North of Howard" neighborhood in the hope of eliminating poverty and empowering participants to live joyful, productive, and stable lives.
Community outreach: Women In Need Growing Stronger (“WINGS”)—Providing support for homeless women and children By E. Lynn Grayson October 2001 WINGS, one of the organizations supported by the Women Everywhere project, is a non-profit comprehensive transitional housing program dedicated to ending homelessness for women and children in the Northwest Chicago suburbs.
Gender fairness roundtables to be held in early 2002 December 2001 Are judges ensuring that gender bias does not occur in their courtrooms? Have bar associations paid sufficient attention to gender bias issues in continuing legal education courses?
Girls and science ­ meet InnerLink By Susan Lynam October 2001 Susan Witt, the past chair of the Women and the Law Committee, would like to introduce you to a small (for now) company located in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, called InnerLink.
The Illinois Equal Justice Foundation: promoting access to justice for the people of Illinois By Ruth Ann Schmitt December 2001 We know that women with children bear the brunt of poverty's effects. We know that too many women face desperate economic and family problems and have no idea where to turn.
Letter from the editors October 2001 Two recent decisions from the Seventh Circuit highlight our news report this month. In the first report, Sharon Eiseman describes a Seventh Circuit decision that struck down Cook County's set-aside program for women and minority-owned business enterprises.
Momentum builds for employers to provide insurance coverage for prescription contraceptives By Cindy Bordelon December 2001 Since late last year, several developments have added momentum for employers to provide insurance coverage for prescription contraceptives.
A profile in success: Irene Bahr By Terrie Rymer October 2001 Meet Irene Bahr. A founding member and first chair of the Standing Committee on Women & the Law, Irene was recently elected secretary of the ISBA.
Profiles in success: a conversation with two pioneering women justices from the Fifth District of the Illinois Court of Appeals By Tracy L. Prosser December 2001 "Can girls be judges?" This question was not uttered decades or even centuries ago but within the past several months by the nine-year-old daughter of newly appointed appellate court Justice Melissa Chapman Rheinecker.
Seventh Circuit deals a blow to affirmative action set-asides for women and minorities in Illinois By Sharon L. Eiseman & Stephen P. Ellenbecker October 2001 The Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals recently dealt a set-back for set-aside programs implemented by Cook County, Illinois. Builders' Assn. of Greater Chicago v. County of Cook, F. Supp. 2d 1087 (N.D. Ill. 2000), aff'd, 256 F.3d 642 (7th Cir. 2001), involved a Cook County ordinance that required a minimum of 30 percent of the dollar value of public works contracts awarded by the county to go to minority-owned business enterprises (MBE) and at least 10 percent of the value of such contracts to be awarded to women-owned business enterprises (WBE.)
Two awards bestowed upon the Women Everywhere Service Project By Sharon L. Eiseman December 2001 Two bar associations have presented awards to the Women Everywhere: Partners in Service Project.