We know it's short notice, but if you can make it to the Ritz Carlton in San Francisco on January 15 (and shouldn't any excuse do?) don't miss the Lexis/Nexis Women in the Legal Profession Summit -- Rainmaking, Negotiating and Collaborative Development.

Ruth Kahn (Steptoe) and Marcia Pope (Pillsbury) are making the following high-powered conference happen to start your new year developing or growing the practice of your dreams!

In 2006, The New York Times® reported that only 17% of partners at major law firms nationwide were women—and according to a National Association for Law Placement study, less than 5% were managing partners. In a recent survey, less than 15% of general counsel at Fortune 500 companies were women, according to the ABA. These statistics raise the question: Is the glass ceiling giving way in the legal industry?

[note that we also recently learned that women in the same practice and geographical areas also charge less than men!]

At the LexisNexis Women in the Legal Profession Summit: Rainmaking, Negotiating and Collaborative Development, you’ll hear about the techniques and approaches that successful female attorneys have employed to overcome the odds and achieve equal status in their firms or legal departments. And you’ll hear from in-house speakers from Chevron, The Clorox Company, Starbucks Coffee, LexisNexis Examen and Union Bank of California. You’ll get:

• Techniques for overcoming gender bias and improving the inclusion of women in practice 
• Strategies for leveraging your strengths to create leadership and rainmaking opportunities 
• A better understanding of what work/life balance is and ways to achieve it 
• Insight into how others perceive your communication style and what you can do to translate it into effective negotiating skills 
• Strategies for attaining partnership and for succeeding once you get there 
• Insight from a corporate roundtable on how the panelists got where they are today 
• And much more

From impressive speakers, including:

• Linda Marks, director of training and consulting, Center for WorkLife Law University of California, Hastings College of Law 
• Laurie Stein, Esq., senior vice president & general counsel, The Clorox Company 
• Patricia Gillette, Esq., Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP 
• Silvia Garrigo, Esq., senior counsel, Chevron Corporation 
• Dawn Patrice Ross, Esq., senior vice president, Union Bank of California 
• Tina Bondy, Esq., corporate counsel, Coffee Master, Starbucks Coffee Company 
• Hon. Rebecca Westerfield (Ret.), JAMS

Led in their discussions by two extraordinary co-chairs:

• Ruth Kahn, Esq., Steptoe & Johnson LLP 
• Marcia Pope, Esq., Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP

In addition, a luncheon and a cocktail reception will provide opportunities for discussion of issues and strategies with colleagues and experts.