2017 National Summit of Black Women Lawyers Recap

For the first time since its inception, WAAL partnered with the Black Women Lawyers' Association of Greater Chicago, Inc. for the 2017 National Summit of Black Women Lawyers. Because of this partnership, five WAAL members were invited to attend the conference in Chicago, free of charge, on a first come, first serve basis. President-Elect Jessica Butler, Director Kristen Hardy, and WAAL members Amber Raffeet August (Milwaukee/Madison), Beverly Franks (Madison), and Sherry Terrell-Webb (Milwaukee) were in attendance for the three-day event, which included sessions on topics ranging from becoming a General Counsel, to implicit bias and resiliency.

The conference featured a host of prominent African-American attorneys around the globe, including Executive Vice President and General Counsel of NBC Universal, Kimberley Harris, immediate past-president of the American Bar Association, Paulette Brown, Senior Vice President and General Counsel of the LA Clippers, Nicole Duckett Fricke, and the Honorable Judge Ann Claire Williams, just to name a few.

The highlight of the event was the Legacy Ball, featuring former Senior Advisor to President Barack Obama, Valerie Jarrett as the keynote speaker. The conference came to a close on Saturday morning following a community service event.

Special thanks to the Black Women Lawyers' Association of Greater Chicago, its partners and sponsors, and all participants who made this such a memorable event.