If you have questions about any of our committees, please contact a WLA officer for more information.
1L Committee and Big/Little Sis Chairs:
The 1L Committee and Big/Little Sis Program welcome 1Ls to HLS and to the WLA and encourage 1Ls to become more involved with the WLA. The Committee recruits and assigns Big and Little Sisters (our mentoring program) and organizes the always-popular welcome back dessert party in the fall. The Committee also organizes ongoing events for 1Ls throughout the year and facilitates their involvement in other WLA committees.
Academic Committee:
The Academic Committee puts on panels and events for WLA members on various aspects of academic life at HLS, including note-taking and outlining tips, professor specific test-taking advice, and choosing classes. The Academic Committee also provides WLA members with the WLA outline and exam bank. Specific events organized by the Academic Committee include the Cocktails and Conversations professor speaker series, informal class advice minglers and the pre-exam Study Tips panel.
Alumni Relations Committee:
The Alumni Relations Committee works to develop relationships between current and former HLS women. The Committee provides opportunities for informal discussions with alumni and facilities mentorship opportunities. This year, the Committee is organizing a WLA trip to D.C. to meet, network with, and learn from HLS alumni working in a variety of positions in that city.
Communications Chair:
The Communications Chair is responsible for publicity for the WLA, maintaining the WLA e-mail account and the WLA website. The Communications Chair also operates as the secretary of the WLA, in charge of taking minutes at Board Meetings, assisting with scheduling, and maintaining records.
Conference Committee:
The Conference Committee organizes the annual WLA conference in the spring semester. This year, our fifth annual conference, the conference is: “This is What Equality Looks Like: The World We Want for Women and Girls,” and will be held on Friday, February 11, 2011.
Finance Chair:
The Finance Chair is responsible for managing the finances for the WLA, including tracking expenses throughout the year and working with the Dean of Students office and outside funders to support WLA events.
HLS Moms Network:
The WLA HLS Moms Network is the WLA’s newest initiative. The HLS Moms Network aims to create a community for moms and expectant moms who are students at HLS. The Moms Network has regular lunches as a way for moms to get to know other women who are juggling school and motherhood, and as a way to facilitate the sharing of information and experiences. The HLS Moms Network also pools HLS moms’ knowledge of local events and services in a monthly email.
International Issues Committee:
The International Issues Committee works to create awareness of international women’s issues on the HLS campus, provides HLS women interested in international issues and international jobs with opportunities to pursue those interests, and reaches out to international students on the HLS campus. Specific events organized by the Committee include presentations by international judges and activities and a JD/LLM networking banquet.
Professional Development – Firm Events Committee:
The Firm Committee organizes activities and provides resources for women interested in pursuing jobs at firms, both large and small. The Committee works closely with OCS to monitor upcoming events of interest to WLA members, while suggesting and co-sponsoring many other events, including a panel to help 2Ls prepare for OCI and a panel to help 1Ls interested in a firm job during their first summer. This Committee also fosters the WLA’s ongoing relationships with large firms and affords excellent opportunities for students to network with female attorneys at various law firms.
Professional Development – Public Interest Events Committee:
The Public Interest Committee organizes activities and provides resources for women that are interested in pursuing public interest jobs during summers or after graduation. The Committee sponsors events connecting public-minded HLS students to each other and to professionals pursuing public interest work, and also works closely with OPIA to monitor upcoming events of interest, and also suggest and co-sponsor events.
Social Committee:
This Committee plans and organizes all the social activities for WLA members. The Committee provides social events, both large and small, that allow WLA members, and members of the HLS community, to network with each other in a fun, relaxing environment including the annual fall bar crawl, day trips to fun local destinations, happy hours, and the big end of the year dinner. In addition, the Committee organizes sports activities for WLA members, ranging from how to play activities in football, basketball, golf, squash, etc. to putting together WLA teams for intramural play.
Volunteer Committee:
The Volunteer Committee provides various volunteer activities and donation-based efforts throughout the year for the WLA. These events include charity walks/runs, pro bono trips, volunteer opportunities at local shelters, clothing drives and more. The Volunteer Committee is also in charge of the newly launched Domestic Violence Court Watch Program.
Women’s Issues Committee:
The Women’s Issues Committee creates events that facilitate the discussion of women’s issues for WLA members and the broader HLS community. The Committee provides new and bold ideas for panels that draw the HLS community, both men and women, to discuss many of the most important issues relating to women, including the ongoing dinner conversation series and the Rape in the Classroom discussion. The Committee also networks with the other gender organizations on campus and works with the school administration on issues of faculty diversity.