Legal News

Philadelphia's Female Chancellors Offer Advice to Fellow Women

By Brian Harris

By Fiona McCrone
For the Legal

?You can be a leader wherever you are,? said Jane Leslie Dalton, partner at Duane Morris and former chancellor of the Philadelphia Bar Association, to a packed room of female attorneys yesterday. ?But nothing happens without obstacles.?

A panel of former female chancellors of the Philadelphia Bar Association spoke about their career experiences, balancing home and work life, and the challenges they faced on their path to becoming chancellor during the ?Pathways to Leadership? discussion. 

The panelists were Deborah R. Willig, first female chancellor and managing partner of Willig Williams & Davidson; Doreen Davis, a partner at Morgan Lewis & Bockius: Dalton, a partner with Duane Morris; Audrey Talley, a partner at Drinker Biddle &Reath; and Kathleen Wilkinson, a partner at Wilson Elser Moskowitz Edelman & Dicker and chancellor-elect for 2013. 

Talley, as the first woman of color to become chancellor, said her campaign was filled with people telling her to drop out, ?to save me the embarrassment.? Talley exclaimed that she was offended by people being ?sorry? for her, and also advised, ?don?t let anybody say ?never? to you.?

Dalton also commented on issues she had faced in her second year of law school, when applying to law firms. ?They?d ask me questions like, if I was on birth control, or if I planned on getting pregnant ? things that no one would ask now.?

Wilkinson noted that when she came out of college there were very few women in the profession, but that the bar association helped her to meet other professional women and create lasting friendships.

Each of the panelists noted that being a leader does not necessarily mean being ?the? leader.  Commenting on women going for leadership positions in the bar, Wilkinson said, ?firms will appreciate you stepping outside of your comfort zone. Win or lose, it shows that you are trying to better yourself.? 

All of the panelists commented that it takes a great deal of courage to ?put yourself out there,? but that working with the bar helps attorneys (of all genders) hone specialized skills that will make them effective leaders.

Their main piece of advice to the women present was to be involved, in any way possible, at the bar association. 

?It opens the doors to the citizenry of Philadelphia, and gives attorneys the opportunity to give back the community as well as build relationships within the bar,? said Willig.  Talley called the bar a ?navigating force that brings people together,? and advised the audience to be open-minded in their career and in whatever other position they hope to hold. 

Finally, Wilkinson ended the discussion with the comment, ?I would not feel fulfilled [in my career] if I were not part of the legal community.?

Full post as published by The Legal Intelligencer Blog on December 01, 2010 (boomark / email).