Group Professionalism Award goes to the Hillsborough Association for Women Lawyers Leadership Academy
The specific goal of HAWL’s Leadership Academy is to retain women in the legal profession by empowering them with the tools to achieve their professional goals while making space for their fulfillment in other areas of their lives.
The Florida Bar’s Standing Committee on Professionalism will present its Group Professionalism Award to the Hillsborough Association for Women Lawyers Leadership Academy at the Annual Florida Bar Convention in June.
This award honors one program instituted and coordinated by a bar association, judicial organization, Inn of Court, or law school organization aimed at enhancing professionalism among lawyers and law students, and that can be implemented by other organizations to promote and encourage professionalism within the legal community.
In 2021, two HAWL members saw a need for leadership education designed for young women lawyers. That year, the HAWL Leadership Academy was born. The mission of the program is to retain women in the legal profession by “empowering them with the tools to achieve their professional goals while making space for their fulfillment in other areas of their lives.”
“In its short life, the HAWL Leadership Academy program has embraced a commitment to build authentic and long-lasting relationships and serve others,” said HAWL members Lyndsey E. Siara and Katherine Yanes, who nominated the program for the award. “Through its implementation of thoughtful programming, the program has enhanced the knowledge, skills, and competence of its participants. Moreover, the program aims to create a source of support and accountability between the fellows, where they can seek feedback on the many challenging aspects of the profession and find ways to serve the public good.”
HAWL members of different ages, practice areas, and leadership focuses apply to join like-minded women striving to become leaders in their community. The selection criteria included HAWL members who are in the first seven years of practice. The aim was to maintain small class sizes to build relationships and bonds between the fellows, and allow for meaningful connections with the presenters.
In January 2022, the program began with the “Strengths” module. Class members first took the Clifton Strengths Assessment, an online tool that uses targeted questions to determine each individual’s 34 “strength traits.” The class heard from a certified “strengths coach,” who presented on the assessment’s development and provided tools on how to articulate and utilize those strengths and tie their core values to their skills. The members dissected how identifying their individual talents may best serve their teams, and how to harness their strengths for greater personal success.
Next, class members attended the “Leveraging Your Strengths at the Negotiating Table” module and heard from guest speaker Irene Bassel Frick, managing partner of Akerman’s Tampa office and past HAWL president. She discussed the gender wage gap, ways to advocate for the “partner track,” and the balance of personal and professional obligations inherent in modern practice. Frick also spoke to the “immense strides” women lawyers have made in Hillsborough County in all areas in the years she has been practicing, as well as the issues women are still facing in the workforce.
Participants then attended the “Keys to Success” module, which featured panelists Judge Laura Ward and Judge Elizabeth Rice of the 13th Circuit, and Judge Amanda Sansone of the U.S. District Court for the Middle District. The topics of discussion included tips on how to build a supportive network, encouragement to pursue professional opportunities, and how to face challenges unique to women in the judiciary.
The final module consisted of a panel led by Nora Bergman, author of 50 Lessons for Women Lawyers From Women Lawyers as well as Anne Kevlin and Jeannine Smith Williams, both featured in the book. The panel spoke on leveraging leadership opportunities, gaslighting at work, and the art and science of saying “no.” The fellows took away practical tips on professionally addressing challenging and uncomfortable situations in the profession.
The program has been repeated two more times.
