Workplace Parity: What’s the problem with me, with him, with us?
Deborah Pollack-Milgate, Partner at the AmLaw 100 firm Barnes & Thornburg and Co-Host of Parity Podcast (FeedSpot’s #1 Gender Equity Podcast in 2025) will revisit her own career path, while encouraging you to do the same, to assess candidly the obstacles women continue to encounter in the workplace. She will discuss the moments she blamed herself for not being good enough and the moment she realized it wasn’t her at all—it was the male-dominated environment she chose as her playground. It would be easy to stop there, but Deborah will also discuss finding empathy for the colleagues she’s challenged and been challenged by along the way, and why it is going to take all of us to create something better than before. Because it’s not women and it’s not men – the problem is us and we’ve got work to do. Come prepared to dig deep, feel the heartache you’ve experienced, and open space to move forward more productively than before.
From Spinning Plates to Sustainable Priorities: Reclaiming Your Well-Being
Most people don't contact an attorney because they're having the best day of their lives. They come to you with a problem they want you to fix, and they probably bring some unrealistic expectations and emotionally charged issues along with them. Add this to the demands of being a mom and the countless other roles in which you serve, and soon you’re spinning so many plates that it’s a matter of when, not if, one of them is going to fall and break. It’s exhausting, it’s not sustainable, and it’s a recipe for overwhelm and burnout.
This session explores the personal and professional cost of trying to keep all those plates spinning and how reclaiming your well-being isn’t selfish, but essential for effective and ethical decision-making in both spheres. We’ll discuss topics like recognizing stressors and completing the stress cycle to combat burnout; how distressing events in the lives of your clients may show up as a trauma response for them and secondary trauma for you; and how mindfulness-based well-being practices can support your professional conduct and enhance your ability to show up for the ones you love.
By the end of this session, you’ll leave with actionable strategies to support your personal and professional well-being, and a deeper understanding of how making your well-being a priority directly elevates your work as both a lawyer and a mom.
managing career choices
Join our Managing Career Choices panel for an inspiring discussion on navigating the ever-evolving legal career landscape. Featuring Sonya Sigler, Jill Roth-Gutman, and Asha Paulose, this session offers insight into their personal career journeys, the diverse paths available in law, starting your own firm, and defining success beyond monetary gain. Whether you’re considering a career shift or exploring new opportunities, gain practical advice on work-life integration, mentorship, and finding a path that aligns with your personal and professional goals. Don’t miss this opportunity to take charge of your career trajectory!
Impacts of Parenthood and Child Caregiving on Legal Careers
Professor Michelle Browning Coughlin will discuss the findings from the 2023 study Legal Careers of Parents and Child Caregivers and recommendations to support caregivers and promote gender parity in both the practice of law and in opportunities to engage in caregiving roles. Given that roughly 80% of people in the United States will become parents in their lifetimes, understanding the implications of parenthood and child caregiving on legal careers is critically important to retaining talent within the profession. In her presentation, Professor Browning Coughlin will discuss the sociological research around the "caregiver penalty" and "maternal wall bias," and how both career and societal expectations intertwine in what she terms the “Motherhood Squeeze.” She will also discuss the implications of fatherhood on men’s careers and caregiving opportunities, including the concepts of "fatherhood stigmatization” and “fatherhood bonus.”
Moving from Chaos to Calm
This interactive talk will support parents in tightening up systems and communication in their household to build a sense of safety and consistency, resulting in more ease and less conflict in the family.
Clarity, Control, and Calendars: Executive Function Tools for the Time-Pressed Legal Mom
This workshop provides high-achieving mother lawyers with essential insights into the critical role of executive functioning in managing the demands of both their professional and personal lives. Participants will gain a deeper understanding of how executive function skills directly impact time management, leading to increased efficiency and reduced stress. By the end of the workshop, participants will be equipped with actionable strategies and practical tools for them and their families, leading to improved time management, reduced stress, and a greater sense of control in their demanding lives.
life on the bench
Judges Jessica Green, Sarah Clay, and Tish Morris offer insights on the unique challenges of being a mom on the bench, parental continuance rules, and how are these lawyer-moms are re-shaping the way courtrooms operate.
A New Twist on Self Care
n this workshop, Pam Dunn will emphasize a holistic approach encompassing mental, emotional, spiritual, physical, and community well-being. Superficial solutions, such as scented candles, bubble baths, and wine, for example, are ineffective in addressing the deeper issues of stress and burnout.