Writing

Selma Moidel Smith Law Student Writing Competition

The National Association of Women Lawyers (NAWL) is currently soliciting entries for the Fourth Annual Selma Moidel Smith Law Student Writing Competition, which focuses on issues concerning women's rights or status of women in the law.

The competition carries a $500 prize for the first place essay and the opportunity for the winning essay to be published in the summer edition of the Women Lawyers Journal. Entries must be received by April 30, 2009

Please click here for more details.

Ms. JD Summer Book Series: Pinstripes & Pearls, By: Judith Richards Hope

Submitted by Ms. JD Book Series

Pinstripes & Pearls: The Women of the Harvard Law Class of '64 Who Forged an Old Girl Network and Paved the Way for Future Generations

Author Judith Richards Hope, a member of the Harvard Law Class of '64, states in the introduction to her book:

"[W]e didn't fully understand what we were getting into - what obstacles we would encounter, what trails we would blaze.... We just knew, from an early age, that we wanted both to serve our country, help make our world a little better and a little safer - and to marry; rear honest, happy children; and lead fulfilling personal lives - just like our mothers."

In some ways, the concerns of Hope and her classmates are so similar to those of women in the law today. Issues of work-life balance, career success, and negotiating law school and legal careers as women, figure prominently in the book. The trail-blazing nature of the women of the Class of '64, however, stands out.