Women's InitiativeFounded in 1997, the Gibbons Women’s Initiative is an important platform for new and seasoned women attorneys within Gibbons to participate side-by-side with colleagues from other practice areas and offices of the firm, clients and high-level representatives from business and academia in creating quality educational and social programs. The collaboration improves knowledge, fosters teamwork, and promotes the role of women in business.The Initiative’s mission is to gather professional women to network, mentor and express their commitment to the advancement of women in all professions. Since its start, the Initiative has grown into a highly respected organization with over 60 women within the firm actively working on its programs, and more than 2,000 invited women participants in total. The firm’s women attorneys focus their work in the Initiative in the following areas: Informative Programming The women attorneys comprising the Gibbons Women’s Initiative present substantive legal and non-legal educational programs as well as a variety of civic and cultural networking opportunities for an esteemed group of corporate women executives and leaders. The group has also partnered with such organizations as the Financial Women’s Association, Rutgers University Center for Women and Work, Turnaround Management Association, and the American Corporate Counsel Association to provide substantive programs to their members on issues relating to women. Recent programs have covered the diverse topics of Financial Planning, Whistleblower Laws, Women Serving on Boards and Women’s Health Information. These programs are informative and provide a forum for showcasing the talents of the firm’s women attorneys, as well as invited guest speakers. The Women's Initiative has also sponsored social and networking events which provide women attorneys with direct access in a social setting to corporate women executives and legal professionals. Providing Mentorship Gibbons offers a mentoring program to all attorneys where they are paired with a partner who assists with integration in all aspects of firm life, provides career counseling and identifies opportunities for growth. In addition, the Women’s Initiative has created mentoring groups of women attorneys at various levels of experience who meet on a regular basis to discuss sensitive issues of the day. These groups create important support networks in which to air viewpoints, learn personal and professional development strategies and share ways of balancing family and work needs. Most recently the Women’s mentoring groups hosted a scavenger hunt in New York City where teams worked together to find the most answers to a challenging list of questions followed by a dinner. This event was just one of the planned activities for the year supporting the growth of women attorneys at Gibbons. Supporting the Community From the start, the Gibbons Women’s Initiative has supported the communities it serves through participation in major fundraising and other constructive activities. The Community Service Committee has assisted its local communities in collecting backpacks and school supplies for underprivileged children. The firm has walked for women’s health causes through the Revlon Run/Walk For Women, American Cancer Society’s Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk and the American Heart Association’s Go Red for Women Campaign. The Initiative has also helped women in transition to new careers by collecting clothing and accessories through various drives for the Dress for Success Campaign. Finally, the Initiative has participated in Habitat for Humanity projects and in a program unique to Gibbons, coined “Bring Your Professional To School Day,” in which women attorneys visited a local public school to serve as role models, encourage academic excellence and lecture on other qualifications for becoming a woman lawyer. Building Links The Initiative’s Link Building Committee is researching other women’s organizations sharing a similar mission with a view toward more collaboration in producing jointly sponsored programs and networking opportunities. This outreach focus is a natural progression following successful co-sponsored events over the past few years with organizations including the Financial Women’s Association, American Corporate Counsel Association, Rutgers University Center for Women and Work, and the Women’s Theater Company, as well as the leadership role that certain Women’s Initiative members have had in other women’s groups, such as the Healthcare Businesswomen’s Association and the New Jersey Council on Gender Parity. |
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