Ms. JD, a non-profit organization founded by female law students from 12 law schools in 2006, is holding a Leadership Summit on April 4-5, 2008, in New York City to found a national organization of women law students. Currently there is no national organization that represents women law students across the country, despite recent reports that women are now less likely than men to apply to law school and continuing statistics that women are less likely than men to reach the highest echelons of the legal profession.

Thanks to the generous financial support of Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, Ms. JD is inviting student delegates from every law school in the country to attend the summit. The delegates will be first- or second-year female law students with demonstrated leadership abilities and commitment to promoting women in the legal profession on a national level. The summit will allow delegates to network with other delegates, hear from inspirational female practitioners, and participate in building the foundation of a national organization of women law students to develop, connect and support the next generation of women lawyers entering the profession.

Confirmed keynote speakers include Chief Judge Judith Kaye of the New York Court of Appeals; Barbara Babcock, the first female professor at Stanford Law School; and Dahlia Lithwick, senior editor and legal correspondent for Slate.

The Ms. JD national organization of women law students will create an online network of practicing women attorneys who will educate and mentor law students; connect women law students across the country to identify common goals and share knowledge and support with one another; sponsor networking and informational events across the country; and gather and disseminate information for and about women in the legal profession. Our expectation is that this national network, over time, will provide women law students with connections and support they need to achieve equal status in the legal profession.

Additional information about the summit is coming soon!

If you are a law student interested in attending the summit, click here to see if your school is sending a delegate. If your school is not currently sending a delegate, please contact us at conference@ms-jd.org. Financial support for travel expenses is available.