I was incredibly privileged to chair the Women and the Law Committee (“WATL”) of the Illinois State Bar Association (“ISBA”) from 2020-2021. As a lawyer and professor of constitutional, international, and immigration law at Southern Illinois University School of Law, I educate and advocate for equality, including working on issues of unique concern to women in the legal system. The opportunity to lead this fabulous group of smart and talented female attorneys was a highlight during a year when most activities were cancelled due to the coronavirus (“COVID”) pandemic. Despite the challenges of COVID, which necessitated all activities to be virtual, WATL had a very successful year. The year began with a powerful start when WATL successfully secured the ISBA’s support for an amicus brief in a federal lawsuit seeking to have the Equal Rights Amendment recognized as a valid amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Continuing with the theme of women’s political empowerment, WATL held a virtual celebration of the 100th Anniversary of the 19th Amendment giving women the right to vote.
In light of national events including the #MeToo Movement and issues of racial justice, particularly following the death of George Floyd on May 25, 2020, WATL members engaged in difficult conversations about gender and race and took action to address some of those issues. Several members of WATL formed a new organization called the Force of Lawyers Against Sexual Harassment (“FLASH”) to better address issues of sexual assault and harassment of female lawyers. WATL members also participated in the American Bar Association’s National Day of Conversation on Race and Gender in the legal profession. WATL continued its annual tradition of celebrating Women’s History Month with an International Women’s Day Tea in March, which featured a virtual panel discussion by female judges talking about the impact of gender, race, sexual harassment, and COVID on the judiciary and the legal profession. WATL also sponsored the third and final part of the “Girls in Crisis” series with a half-day CLE program focusing on girls caught up in the immigration system and trauma-informed lawyering.
Throughout the year, the hardworking editors of WATL’s newsletter, The Catalyst, put together and published five issues with wide-ranging content of interest to women in the legal profession. We recognized many deserving women with successful award nominations. WATL also looked to the future by hosting a virtual career and networking panel discussion for law students to help connect aspiring lawyers to the bar and the legal profession. Together, we are able to accomplish so much, and the future is looking bright!