There is a lot going on for women attorneys' business development these days, particularly at the Women Lawyers Association of Los Angeles (check out this November 17 all-day event:  Continuing the Retention and Advancement of Women in Law Firms: Fresh Perspectives for Changing Times, for instance).

When asked whether the announcement of my affiliation with ADR Services, Inc. could be sent to my WLALA mailing list, I was told:  women don't refer!  Huh? 

In 2006, I formed the Professional Women's Network of Southern California for women executives, managers, professionals, and, entrepreneurs.  We now have more than 600 members spread across three social networking platforms LinkedIn (here); Meetup (here, here and here), and, ning (our true "home" here).

If women are in a position to refer, they refer.  And if they're in a position to refer to one another, they refer to one another.  Some women's initiatives at some major national law firms, for instance, have permitted women associates and partners to by-pass the normal intra-firm cross-marketing connectors (mainly male practice group leaders) and instead refer to the women in far-flung geographic regions who have gotten to know one anothers' specialty practices and strengths as advocates through monthly women initiative or women affinity group meetings.

If women -- the most collaborative gender, if I may be so bold -- don't refer, it's not because they don't want to.  It's because there are still too few of them in positions that permit them to refer.

The Professional Women's Network is out to change all that.  If you'd like to be part of Women 2.0, please consider joining the Professional Women's Networks of Southern or Northern Cailfornia today.  It's free; it's fun; and, it's powerful.

We refer!!