WLAM: Women Lawyers Association of Michigan

Whether you’re an active or lapsed member of WLAM, we’d like to see more of you in 2008-2009! Our goal is to build COMMUNITY and promote WELLNESS among women attorneys in Washtenaw County. If you haven't been to a WLAM activity in awhile, please mark your calendars and come to one of the events below!

 UPCOMING EVENTS

(1) "Women, Lawyers, and Leadership" presented by Suellyn Scarnecchia.

Our next meeting is at noon on November 19, 2008 at Vinology (Main Street between Huron and Washington). Our guest speaker is Suellyn Scarnecchia, Vice President and General Counsel of the University of Michigan. Many of you will remember Ms. Scarnecchia from her time at the University of Michigan Law School where (among other things) she directed the Child Advocacy Clinic. In 2002, she left UM to become Dean of the University of New Mexico Law School, and she has returned to Ann Arbor just this year. The title of her presentation is "Women, Lawyers, and Leadership."

If you plan to attend, please RSVP to Teresa Killeen (killeent@ewashtenaw.org). (Vinology needs to have a reasonably accurate head count.) Lunch will be available for purchase for $12.00.

(2) WLAM Holiday Party

WLAM Holiday Party will be on Wednsday, December 10, 2008. Please contact Teresa Killeen for details and RSVP at (killeent@ewashtenaw.org).

• WLAM Mom’s Group.  For WLAM members who are interested in organizing a) playdates or activities with young kids; and/or b) lunches/social activities for attorney moms to meet informally for support and friendship.
• Dream Dinners event.  For WLAM members interested in a group outing to Dream Dinners.  “Dream Dinners” is a place to make meals to take home. (Check out dreamdinners.com for more information).
• Jobs/Referrals.  We’d like to start using our WLAM email list as a way to help connect attorneys a) looking for a job or looking to hire attorneys or staff; and b) looking to make a referral outside of your practice area.  Please email Suzanne Sukkar at Sukkar@piercehahn.com if you know about an interesting job opportunity that you’d like to pass along to our membership or if you want to make an inquiry to our membership re: a referral opportunity. 

The State Bar of Michigan, University of Michigan Law School, and Women Lawyers Association of Michigan would like to invite you to Happy Healthy Lawyers: Attorney Well-being and How to Improve It. This conference/workshop, held on April 7, 2007 at the University of Michigan Law School, will feature:

• Renowned author and attorney Scott Turow, speaking on the health and happiness of attorneys;
• Other local and national speakers addressing attorney well-being;
• A self-assessment workshop; and
• Break-out sessions on topics such as stress-reduction, financial planning, and law firm wellness initiatives.

For detailed information, and to register for this event, please visit our website at www.happyhealthylawyers.com. The registration link is located in the top right corner of each page.

SafeHouse Fundraiser: The Vagina Monologues (February 9-10)

Looking for an entertaining way to support victims of domestic violence and sexual assault? This month, The Vagina Monologues is being performed at the ARK, and the proceeds will go to benefit SafeHouse Center. Performances will be held at the ARK on Friday, February 9, 2007 at 8:00 p.m. and Saturday, February 10, 2007 at 2:00 pm. The play is directed this year by Grace Morand and performed by Carla Milarch, Suzi Regan, Jennifer White, and Phyllis Wright, with cameo appearances by Letitia Byrd, Patricia Garcia, Connie Huber, Ellie Serras, and Ingrid Shelton.

Benefactor tickets with premium seating are available for $60 each from SafeHouse Center (contact Jyoti at jyotig@safehousecenter.org, or call 973-0242, ext 277 or 202). General admission tickets cost $25 in advance (by phone-734-763-8587; or in person at Herb David Guitar Studio or the ARK) or $30 at the door.

Happy Hour at the Earle (February 21)

A happy hour for the membership will be held on Wednesday, February 21, 2007 from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m. at the Earle (121 W. Washington Street). Light appetizers and non-alcoholic drinks will be provided. We hope to see you there!

Panel Presentation on Sobriety Court (March 23)

The WLAM Washtenaw Region will be co-sponsoring a panel presentation on Sobriety Court with the Criminal Law Section of the WCBA. Sobriety Court is designed to help repeat offenders stop drinking and to prevent recidivism. It offers treatment as an alternative to incarceration and requires that participants submit to intensive monitoring.

The panel presentation will be held at 200 N. Main Street (lower level conference room) at noon on Friday, March 23, 2007.

Happy Healthy Lawyers Symposium (April 7)

On April 7, 2007, the State Bar of Michigan, the University of Michigan Law School, and the WLAM Washtenaw Region will be co-sponsoring a symposium entitled: Happy, Healthy Lawyers – A Conference on Attorney Health and How to Improve It. We are excited to announce that renowned author and lawyer Scott Turow will be speaking at the conference regarding his views on this important topic. The symposium is designed to provide lawyers and law students with tools and skills to help them find satisfaction and success personally and in their career.

The symposium will be held on Saturday, April 7th at the University of Michigan Law School, with topics to include sustaining a positive family life, stress reduction approaches, and working with toxic personalities.

Please be sure to mark your calendar for this exciting event! More details to be announced.