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Though the Gap Persists, So Do We - On the Field: Women in Sports Law
By Tatum Wheeler • April 27, 2018 •Ms. JD, Writers in Residence, Careers, Other Career Issues, Issues, Sexism, Sexual Harassment, and Other Forms of Discrimination, Women and Law in the Media
As many of you know, Equal Pay Day was earlier this month and with it, a reminder that pay between men and women, and within different groups of women, is still far from equal. While the pay gap is felt across professions, it is particularly detrimental to female athletes. Female professional athletes often make a fraction of their male counterparts' salaries. The US is not alone in this problem, as it permeates professional sports organizations around the world. It is worth noting, however, that unlike other professions, professional sports present some unique challenges. Olympic athletes often rely on their…
To be a Woman and to be Workplace Ready
By Ava Lee • April 18, 2018 •Ms. JD, Conference, Ms. JD Book Reviews, Ms. JD Weekly Roundup, Writers in Residence, Careers, Firms and the Private Sector, Other Career Issues, •Law School, Choosing a Career and Landing a Job, Other Law School Issues, Issues, Balancing Private and Professional Life, Mentoring and Networking, Sexism, Sexual Harassment, and Other Forms of Discrimination, Women and Law in the Media, •Features, Guest Bloggers and Profiles of Women in the Law, Myths & Truths, First Women, Superwomen JDs and What You Can Learn From Them
For a man, the common mantra is “seize the day.” For a woman, the common mantra is “act accordingly.” The ideal woman projects grace and cooperation. She is to complement situations, not challenge them. She is to follow rules, not make them. Easy to smile and easy to laugh, she is to sidestep her wants and needs for the greater good. One must be assertive, firm, and steadfast to reach personal and professional objectives, however these traits are downplayed at the for fear of being rejected or unlikeable. I remember my first day as a law clerk. It was standard protocol to listen and take notes during meetings. No one wanted to…
Interview with Title IX Coordinator Allison Lyng O’Connell - On the Field: Women in Sports Law
By Tatum Wheeler • March 31, 2018 •Writers in Residence, Careers, Issues, Sexism, Sexual Harassment, and Other Forms of Discrimination, Women and Law in the Media
I’m pleased to introduce Allison Lyng O’Connell, J.D., Title IX Coordinator and Clery Act Compliance Officer. After graduating from Northeastern University School of Law, Allison became an Assistant District Attorney in Suffolk County, Massachusetts. From there, she transitioned into Dartmouth College’s Title IX Program Coordinator, ultimately stepping into the lead Title IX Coordinator and Clery Act Compliance Officer role in August 2017. For those unfamiliar, Title IX is a United States Education Amendment signed in 1972 that states: “No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the…
Friend or Foe? Technology In Our Everyday Lives: Connectedness & Connectivity
By Keisha M. McClellan • March 28, 2018 •Writers in Residence, Issues, Women and Law in the Media
Award-winning author and columnist, Thomas Friedman, declares that “[o]f course the world is not flat. But it isn’t round anymore, either.” I agree. Today’s technology fuses people to places, ideas, things, and other human beings. As Friedman explains, modern technology “empowers more and more individuals today to reach farther, faster, deeper, and cheaper than ever before” and that energy creates connectivity and collaboration across the globe. By example, the US is on the precipice of connecting faster than ever thanks to innovations in 5G technology. Everything from the speed with which we will watch videos on smartphones, interface with internet-of-things…
Re-Defining Success (Or Maybe DEFINING it ... for the very first time)
By Amy Impellizzeri • March 28, 2018 •Ms. JD, Writers in Residence, Careers, Law School, Pre-Law, Issues, Balancing Private and Professional Life, Women and Law in the Media
From the beginning of time (or at least the first day of college!) I had exactly one professional goal in life – to be a lawyer. And not just any lawyer – a successful one. I wasn’t sure exactly what success would look like, but I knew this – I’d know it when I saw it. By 2009, I had been a corporate litigator for more than 13 years – nearly a decade of which had been spent at Skadden Arps. I had negotiated multi-million dollar settlements, and tried my first case before I was 30. I had won over…
From Paralegal to Associate: Are you still doing “office housework”?
By Nadia Ennaji • February 26, 2018 •Writers in Residence, Careers, Issues, Sexism, Sexual Harassment, and Other Forms of Discrimination, Women and Law in the Media, Other Issues
I recently read an article written by Sheryl Sandberg and Adam Grant on women doing office housework.[1] It couldn’t ring truer to my ears than now. As a paralegal, it is your job to do all the admin tasks being delegated by the attorneys. But as an attorney, I somewhat still am asked to do those admin tasks on top of the workload of an attorney. Recently, during a trial, not only was I expected to do all the preparation for the trial, but I was also expected to put the exhibits together, and prepare the binders. What is one supposed…
The Olympics and Me Too - On the Field: Women in Sports Law
By Tatum Wheeler • February 09, 2018 •Ms. JD, Writers in Residence, Issues, Sexism, Sexual Harassment, and Other Forms of Discrimination, Women and Law in the Media
In honor of today’s Opening Ceremony of the 2018 Winter Olympics, I thought we would take a brief look at women’s participation in the Olympics. The Olympics have not always been, and it can be argued, continues to be hostile to women’s involvement. In fact, though the Olympic games in Ancient Greece included foot races for unmarried girls, women were banned from the first modern Olympics in 1896. Women’s involvement in the Olympics and sports, in general, were openly criticized by the founder of the Modern Olympics, Baron Pierre de Coubertin. According to the Baron, participation in sports destroyed a woman’s…
The Best Way to Leave the Law When You’re Burned Out? Don’t.
By Amy Impellizzeri • January 26, 2018 •Ms. JD, Writers in Residence, Careers, Other Career Issues, Law School, Choosing a Career and Landing a Job, Other Law School Issues, Issues, •Women and Law in the Media, Other Issues
In 2009, I took a one year sabbatical from my 13+ year law career. I turned out the lights in my 42d floor office at 4 Times Square and left. Just a year. Nine years later, I often joke that I’m still on that one year sabbatical. The truth is, I’ve transitioned away from the active practice of law, and nine years has given me a fair perspective to understand how and why that transition has been so successful. In nine years, I’ve worked on the executive team of a pioneering start-up company, negotiated publishing contracts and a literary agency contract, launched…
Introduction - On the Field: Women in Sports Law
By Tatum Wheeler • January 25, 2018 •Writers in Residence, Issues, Women and Law in the Media
Hello and welcome to On the Field: Women in Sports Law! I am really looking forward to learning more about this area together this next year. To all my sports fans, let me welcome you to this column in which we’ll investigate different sports organizations, their legal impact, and how women have shaped the sports arena. For those of you whose interests lie outside of sports, let me begin by saying I know that I may not be able to convince you of sports' merit. Besides the bloated budgets and expenditures on sports and related products that could go towards…