Women's Bar Association of Massachusetts

Women's Bar Association of Massachusetts

Founded	1978
Type	Bar Association
Location	Boston, Massachusetts
Area served	Law
Website	www.womensbar.org

The Women's Bar Association of Massachusetts (WBA) The Women's Bar Association of Massachusetts, which also goes by the acronym "WBA," has over 1500 members and was founded in Boston, Massachusetts in 1978 with a goal to achieve the full and equal participation of women in the legal profession and in a just society. It is one of the oldest and largest women's bar associations in the country.

History

In 1978, a group of activist women lawyers met for dinner at Dini's on Tremont Street in Boston. The discussion that night revolved around the concern that no bar association in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts was speaking out on issues affecting women and women lawyers. Equally troubling to these early pioneers was the significant lack of women on the bench, and the failure of any bar association to actively encourage women to serve in the judiciary.

These women were convinced that a bar association that spoke out on behalf of women's issues would garner membership and gain credibility in the legal community. Thus, in the spring of 1978, the Women's Bar Association of Massachusetts was born.

Today, 30 years later, the WBA & WBF occupy a small office suite on School Street, not far from where Dini's used to be. The Women's Bar Foundation (WBF) was founded in 1993 to oversee their charitable activities. Together, the staff of the WBA and WBF consist of a full-time Executive Director, Membership Director, Marketing Communications Associate, Programs Associate, and Administrative Assistant, as well as a Supervising Attorney of the WBF's Family Law Project for Battered Women, and a Staff Attorney for the Family Law Project.^[1]

Highlights in WBA History

• 1978: WBA holds its first organization meeting
• 1979: Elaine Epstein becomes the first WBA President.
• 1980: WBA drafts and files its first bill- tax incentives for employer-sponsored child care.
• 1983: WBA files its first amicus brief to the U.S. Supreme Court in Hishon v. King & Spaulding (Title VII prohibits law firms from discriminating in partnership decisions).
• 1990: WBA hosts its first annual Gala.
• 1991: WBA sponsors "Battered Women Fighting Back."
• 1993: WBA creates the Women's Bar Foundation to oversee its pro bono projects.
• 2001: WBA publishes its ground-breaking report "More than Part-Time," receiving national and international attention.
• 2002: WBA successfully lobbies for the passage of the Contraceptives Coverage Bill (requiring private health insurers in Massachusetts to cover contraceptives).^[2]

Legislative Agenda and Achievements

The WBA has a Legislative Committee that seeks to advance various legislative priorities surrounding women and the law.

Legislative Priorities

• Alimony The WBA supports an Act to Reform Alimony (S665) which will benefit all parties to alimony arrangements by creating different categories of alimony with set limitations. The bill also provides an important safeguard for families that do not fit squarely within the guidelines by including discretion for courts to address their needs in alimony orders.
• Welfare The WBA supports an Act to Bring Child Support Home (S34, H84) to allow families on Transitional Aid to Families with Dependent Children (TAFDC) to keep more child support and allow child support arrears to go to families instead of to the state for repayment of welfare costs. While it is not completely cost neutral, much of the cost is absorbed by the federal government. The WBA supports an Act Removing Barriers to Economic Stability and Asset Development for Low to Moderate Income Families (S1839/H1858) to raise the asset limits for TAFDC (now $2,500) and Emergency Aid to Elders, Disabled and Children (EAEDC) (now $250) to $10,000; to allow each licensed driver in a family to have a car; and to allow recipients to keep and responsibly spend down lump sum payments up to $10,000. It also will have some training and education components.
• Legal Services Funding The WBA supports funding General Support for legal services, funding for Battered Women’s Legal Assistance Project, a program for advocacy for Medicare advocacy and a Disability Benefits Project.
• Courts/Judiciary Funding The WBA supports funding the court system to assure the delivery of, and access to, justice.
• Domestic Violence/Housing An Act Relative to Housing Rights of Victims of Domestic Violence, Rape, Sexual Assault and Stalking (S586/H386) to amend the existing housing discrimination laws to prohibit discrimination against victims of domestic violence, rape, sexual assault and stalking, to create a defense to eviction if the landlord attempts to evict a tenant because he/she was the victim of one of these crimes and a vehicle for victims, with appropriate documentation, to vacate their lease or rental agreements without penalty.
• Civil Rights In order to protect transgender people, the WBA supports a bill to add “gender identity or expression” to hate crimes and employment, housing, credit, public accommodation and education non-discrimination laws. An Act Relative to Transgender Equal Rights (S764/H502).
• Paid Sick Days The WBA supports an Act Establishing Paid Sick Days (S930/H1398) to give employees a minimum of 7 sick days per year. Paid sick leave protects public health by minimizing the spread of illness; saves employers money by reducing spread among workers, reducing diminished productivity and turnover; and levels the playing field for employers who already offer paid sick days.
• Human Trafficking Proposed human trafficking bills would make human trafficking a crime in Massachusetts; make patronizing a human trafficking victim a crime; create higher penalties for victims who are minors; allow forfeited assets related to human trafficking to be distributed to victims; and create an inter-agency task force to study human trafficking.^[3]

Past Legislative Achievements

• Equal Rights Amendment An Act Relative to Equitable Coverage in Annuity Policies ended annuity pricing and practices which violate our state ERA, prohibiting discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, marital status or national origin.
• Civil Rights The WBA supports full implementation of the Goodridge decision on same sex marriage. One barrier, the 1913 anti-miscegenation law, was repealed and signed into law. The WBA’s concern for protecting the interests of families required that we oppose enshrining discrimination and prejudice in the Massachusetts Constitution. An initiative Amendment, “The Protection of Marriage” defining marriage as only between a woman and a man was defeated in the legislature in joint Constitutional Convention in 2007.
• Reproductive Rights The buffer zone between reproductive health clinics and protesters was expanded to 35 feet effective 11/13/07 when the Governor signed the law with an emergency preamble. It replaced 2000 law which created an unworkable “bubble zone” of 6’ around a person when with 18’ of entrances or direct path to door of health clinics. An Act to Provide Timely Access to Emergency Contraceptive by requiring appropriate health care for rape survivors and allowing pharmacists to provide emergency contraception directly to women. Signed into law in 2005. An Act Providing Equitable Coverage Under Health Plans –to require contraceptive and hormone replacement therapy coverage under insurance plans regulated by the state. The WBA supported legislation which ended the discrimination suffered by, and lifted the ban on abortion coverage for, public employees and their families.
• Sexual Harassment and Other Forms of Workplace Discrimination The WBA-supported bill to extend the statute of limitations for all forms of prohibited workplace discrimination from 6 months to 3 years became law in 2002. The WBA supported legislation which mandated education of employers and employees about what constitutes sexual harassment, about its illegality and facilitate reporting mechanisms in the workplace.^[4]

WBA Committees

The WBA has a total of 26 Committees, created to meet the individual needs of all women lawyers.

Policy and General Interest Committees

• Amicus The Amicus Committee writes amicus briefs on various issues affecting women and the law. The briefs are intended to assist the Court in resolving interesting and often controversial legal issues.
• Appointments, Awards & Endorsements The Appointments, Awards and Endorsements Committee ("AA&E") actively encourages and supports women interested in nomination to the bench.
• Business Development The mission of the Business Development Committee is to promote the success of women in the law by creating an open environment to understand and build the skills necessary to develop business.
• Employment Issues This Committee is concerned with issues affecting women in the practice of law, such as part-time work issues, issues surrounding the evaluation process, and issues concerning the so-called glass ceiling.
• Government Lawyer The Government Lawyers Committee addresses issues inherent in government and public service.
• In-House Counsel The In-House Counsel Committee of the Women’s Bar Association is committed to connecting women who work in-house with each other and other members of the WBA.
• Law Firm Advancement The mission of Law Firm Advancement Committee is to develop and advance the careers of women in law firms.
• Law Student The Law Student Committee is designed to meet the needs of women law students.
• Legislative Policy The Legislative Policy Committee monitors the WBA Legislative Agenda. They prepare testimony for hearings and letters to elected officials on the bills and issues we support or oppose.
• Membership The Membership Committee of the Women’s Bar Association is committed to increasing the membership ranks of the WBA by reaching out to law students and attorneys in all walks of legal practice.
• Mother's Forum The Mothers' Forum Committee seeks to provide a forum for women to discuss issues related to balancing home and family commitments with being a lawyer.
• New Lawyer The New Lawyer Committee seeks to provide a forum for new women lawyers to share their experiences, draw on each other’s knowledge, provide advice on rising in the ranks, and meet new people.
• Public Relations The WBA Public Relations Committee is dedicated to promoting the organization’s public presence.
• Rosa Parks This Committee addresses the concerns of legal services attorneys, bar advocates, public counsel and other attorneys working in the non-profit and non-traditional law firm settings that focus primarily upon the representation of indigent and low-income clients, civil rights, activism and advocacy to bring about positive social change.
• Senior Practice Group This committee focuses on topics of interest and concern to attorneys who have reached a level of seniority and expertise in their legal fields and/or workplaces.
• Solo and Small Firm The Committee has developed a network of solo and small firm practitioners who provide advice on substantive areas of law, client management, office administration, and other questions.
• Women of Color It is this Committee's goal and mission to promote women of color in the legal profession for their multitude of successes and to honor them for their personal and professional accomplishments.^[5]

Geographical Interest Committees

• Cape Cod and The Islands
• Central Massachusetts
• Greater Boston Committee
• Metro West
• Middlesex County
• New Bedford/Fall River Area
• North Shore
• South Shore
• Western Massachusetts

Annual Events/Programs

Individual WBA Committees hold socials and meetings all throughout the year. Additionally, the WBA offers programs and workshops to help women market themselves, to assist members in building practices, and to expose women to important business development opportunities. Some of these events have included: Mentoring Circles, Speed-Networking, "Work/Life Balance," "Demystifying the Path to Government Appointments," "Women In Politics: Challenges And Trends," as well as various panel discussions and guest speakers.

Each year, the WBA also hosts their annual WBA Gala, which is a fundraiser where proceeds go toward supporting the continuance of the WBA. There is also an annual Legislative Breakfast, in which WBA members discuss new policy objectives and reflect on past achievements. There is also the WBA Annual Meeting & Newly Admitted Lawyers Reception and the Annual Summer Associate, Law Clerk and Intern Reception.

WBA Publications

The WBA has a newly designed, interactive web site, and also publishes the Women's Bar Review, a bi-monthly newspaper, and the annual Chronicle magazine.

The WBA Employment Issues Committee also publishes an annual "Employment Report" on women attorneys in Massachusetts.

The press regularly consults WBA leadership on issues of concern to women. Thanks to the initial founders of the organization, current leadership and members, the WBA is a vibrant organization with a powerful mission.^[6]

Leadership

2011-2012 WBA President

• Nancy Cremins

WBA Executive Committee

• President-Elect: Andrea Kramer
• Vice President: Lurleen Gannon
• Vice President, Operations: Stefanie Balandis
• Treasurer: Kara DelTufo
• Secretary: Meredith Ainbinder

WBA Staff

• Membership & Programs Coordinator: Dena Schwartz
• Administrative Assistant: Jessica Winn ^[7]

References