Cadwalader seeks to create a work environment in which all personnel have equal opportunity in all areas of their professional lives and are able to maximize their potential and productivity.  In an effort to foster such an environment, the Cadwalader Women’s Leadership Initiative was formed.  

Mission

The Cadwalader Women’s Leadership Initiative  seeks to provide all lawyers with programs, discussions, training and other opportunities to further the recruitment, retention, development, and advancement of women both in the legal profession and at the firm.

Foundation

In an era when few women entered the legal profession, Cadwalader was years ahead of its peer firms in recognizing and publicly acknowledging the important contributions of women.  In 1924, Catherine Noyes Lee, a graduate of New York University Law School, joined the firm and became a leading attorney in estate and marital controversies.  In 1942, Ms. Lee was invited to join the partnership, becoming the first woman partner at a major Wall Street firm. 

Goals

Together, we seek to:

• Ensure a firm culture that is committed to the advancement of women
• Develop recruiting efforts targeted to women
• Provide career guidance and mentoring for female attorneys
• Increase professional development and training opportunities

Achieving Our Goals 

Building Business Development

The Women’s Leadership Initiative sponsored the following programs, in order to assist our female attorneys in the process of strengthening ties with existing clients as well as attracting new clientele in various sectors of the consumer market:

• Deloitte Financial Advisory Services LLP: Our women attorneys attended a presentation by Paula Tookey, Senior Manager at Deloitte Financial Advisory Services LLP, regarding Deloitte’s national and local initiatives to develop female leadership, encourage mentoring relationships, and provide exposure to the firm’s senior executives.
• Catalyst Awards Dinner: On March 31, 2009 our women attorneys attended the Catalyst Awards dinner, which was held in New York.  The Catalyst Award is presented annually to companies and firms with outstanding initiatives that result in women’s career development and advancement. The Award provides the business community with replicable success models that are good for business and good for women.
• Flex-Time Lawyers LLC Membership:  Cadwalader is a member of Flex-Time Lawyers LLC, a networking and support organization for attorneys who work on a flexible or reduced schedule.
• DEA Academy:  On March 19, 2009, Washington office female attorneys were invited to the Drug Enforcement Agency's training facility at the Quantico Marine Base to experience the type of training that federal agent trainees undergo.

Building Business Leaders

The Women’s Leadership Initiative has presented the following programs in order to increase professional development and training opportunities in the firm:

• Path to Partnership Panel Discussion:  Cadwalader’s female partners presented a panel discussion about lessons learned from the different paths that each female partner on the panel followed to partnership.  Stephanie Meltzer, Chair of the Women’s Leadership Initiative Planning Committee, moderated the panel, which was composed of the following partners: Dorothy Auth, Maurine Bartlett, Julian Chung, Karen Gelernt, and Linda Swartz.
• Building Your Brand: The Women’s Leadership Initiative invited the women attorneys from all of our U.S. offices to New York to attend a presentation by Carol Kanarek and Kathleen Brady, of Kanarek & Brady, LLC, which discussed how women lawyers can clarify their goals and develop action plans to achieve their career objectives.

Building Internal Connections

The Women’s Leadership Initiative has presented the following opportunities for fostering informal mentoring relationships:

• Lunches:  The Women’s Leadership Initiative regularly schedules lunches for women attorneys, hosted by a female partner or senior attorney, to provide opportunities for internal networking and informal mentoring.
• Summer Event 2009:  The Women’s Leadership Initiative invited the female summer associates to join the female attorneys from the New York office for an evening at a local art gallery, curated by a local female artist.  10% of the proceeds from any sales at this event will benefit inMotion, a volunteer organization offering free legal services to low-income women.
• Summer Event 2008:  The Women’s Leadership Initiative invited the female summer associates to join the female attorneys in the New York office for a “casino” night. The Washington group invited its female summer associates to join the female attorneys for a chocolate and champagne tasting at a local chocolate boutique. 
• Summer Event 2007:  The Women’s Leadership Initiative invited the female summer associates to join the female attorneys in the New York office for a wine tasting.

Building Opportunity

The Women’s Leadership Initiative supports and seeks to expand existing work/life resources offered by the firm, in order to ensure a firm culture that is committed to the advancement of women and to the encouragement of personal as well as professional growth.  Currently, the firm offers the following resources:

• Paid parental leave
• Part-time and flex-time schedules
• A sabbatical program
• Emergency back-up child care services
• Domestic partner benefits
• Confidential professional counseling and services
• Free or reduced-rate health club membership (depending on office location)

Building Community

The Women’s Leadership Initiative furthers Cadwalader’s commitment to using the resources of the firm to make a positive impact on our communities and in the lives of people who could not otherwise afford legal representation.  Below is a list of public service events in which the Women’s Leadership Initiative has participated:

• Florence Crittenton Services of North Carolina: Florence Crittenton Services is a non-profit organization providing single mothers and their infants with medical care and other support services.  The women attorneys in our Charlotte office sponsor and participate in monthly events with the residents at Florence Crittenton Services.  For a recent event, the women attorneys provided the residents with a "make-your-own pizza" and movie night.  Another evening was spent playing "Guitar Hero" and enjoying homemade treats.
• Friendship Trays: Friendship Trays is an organization that generally delivers more than 600 meals daily to the elderly, disabled, and convalescing people who are unable or greatly restricted in their ability to prepare or secure meals.  The women attorneys in our Charlotte office volunteered with Friendship Trays to collect and deliver meals.
• Crisis Assistance Ministry: The Crisis Assistance Ministry is dedicated to providing short-term assistance to local families and individuals in crisis by supplying resources to meet their basic needs.  The women attorneys in our Charlotte office led a clothing drive and sorted donations for the Crisis Assistance Ministry's "free store," in which those in need could collect clothing and necessities at no cost.
• Nest: The Women's Leadership Initiative in the Washington office hosted a charity event at a local boutique benefitting Nest, a nonprofit organization providing loans to women artisans in developing countries to help them create sustainable entrepreneurial businesses.
• Dress for Success: On May 7, 2009, the women attorneys in our DC office hosted a networking reception and fundraising event for Dress for Success.  Invited guests included the Executive Director of Dress for Success in DC, a wardrobe organization consultant, and friends and colleagues of the women attorneys from the DC office.
• Women Build 2009 - Habitat for Humanity: On June 13, 2009 women attorneys in our Charlotte office participated in Women Build 2009, which is an annual program in which women volunteers construct an entire Habitat home.  Since building the nation’s first all-women house in 1991, Habitat Charlotte has built ten more “all-women” houses.  The Women Build project empowers women to participate in Habitat for Humanity’s work by teaching new skills in a non-competitive, inclusive environment of cooperation, partnership and fun. 
• 24-Hour Road Cycling Event: On July 25, 2009 women attorneys in our Charlotte office participated in the official 24-hour cycling event of the Lance Armstrong Foundation, designed to increase public awareness and support for the foundation and other local cancer organizations,  The Cadwalader team raised almost $4,000 for these charities.