WLA Committees Open to the General Membership

Membership Committee: This committee strives to increase WLA membership through various recruiting efforts, e.g. visiting law offices, distributing brochures, holding informational meetings with women lawyers, visiting law schools and women student meetings, staffing tables at bar events, and other outreach efforts.

Newsletter Committee: The monthly newsletter is WLA’s primary channel of communication with its members. This committee assists the board’s presiding officers in developing and publishing the newsletter by researching issues of interest to members, soliciting or submitting articles, photos, and other content for publication in the newsletter, and liaising with third party vendors regarding formatting, editing, and circulation.

Website: The website is the central source of public and member information about WLA and its mission, board, members, events, and initiatives. Members of this committee solicit, create, collect, and update content, manage site information, and liaise with third party web designers and hosts.

PR/Communications/Media: WLA’s public perception, visibility, and influence are important to its ability to fully execute its mission of promoting women in the legal profession and creating positive change around women’s issues in the general community. This committee communicates with local media outlets, works to enhance the organization’s access to the media, promotes the organization and its efforts and events through media coverage, and ultimately strives to shine a light on substantive issues of importance to women and the legal community.

Golf Tournament Committee: This committee organizes the yearly golf tournament held every October. This is one of WLA’s most significant fundraisers. WLA relies on proceeds of this event for its operating budget.

Mentorship Committee: WLA’s mentorship program aims to provide female mentors and role models to female law students at St. Louis University, Washington University, and the University of Missouri-Columbia. The committee is responsible for liaising with the schools’ women’s organizations, matching students with WLA member-mentors based on need and fit, and planning social events for students and mentors.

Scholarship Committee: WLA awards scholarships to female law students through the Linda J. Murphy memorial scholarship fund, supported by proceeds from individual donations from WLA members and supporters. The committee communicates with administrators and women student leaders at each of the state’s four law schools, solicits and reviews student applications, recommends recipients to the Board for approval, and collaborates with the Judicial Committee to jointly plan the spring judicial and scholarship reception.

Judicial Committee: The promotion of women in the judiciary and other positions of influence and leadership is a key function of WLA. This committee tracks vacancies within the judiciary and other arenas (e.g. bar leadership), informs the board when vacancies arise, and coordinates the application and endorsement process. The committee also collaborates with other entities to plan two joint events: a judicial appointments workshop with the Sue Shear Institute for Women in Public Life, and the judicial and scholarship reception with the Scholarship Committee.

Legislative Committee: This committee organizes the annual legislative luncheon where female state legislators inform members of current legislative issues. The committee selects the theme of the discussion, solicits the participation of the legislators, communicates with the Missouri Bar to obtain CLE accreditation for the event, and plans the logistics of the luncheon. This committee also tracks state legislation of interest to women lawyers and submits summaries of such legislation for publication in the WLA newsletter.

Holiday Party and Charity Auction Committee: This committee is responsible for WLA’s annual holiday party and charity auction, proceeds of which are donated to local charities serving women and children. Committee members solicit and review charity applications and recommend recipients to the Board for approval. Members also organize the event by soliciting auction items from individuals and local businesses, preparing bid sheets and related documents, and planning event logistics for the party – one of the best attended events of the year.

CLE Committee: WLA offers CLE programs from time to time. The programs are open to all lawyers. Committee members select the topic, recruit speakers, communicate with the Missouri Bar to obtain CLE accreditation, and plan event logistics.

Advisory/Historian: This committee is open to past presidents of the organization. In its advisory capacity, the committee provides historical perspective and institutional knowledge to advise the board on policy issues. In its historian capacity, the committee is responsible for organizing and maintaining the organization’s archives.