“It’s very important that as women, we have leadership roles in the law. … If we’re not participating, if we’re not in leadership roles, our voices aren’t being heard, and our experiences aren’t being taken into consideration,” says Rebecca Dallet, who spent nearly 11 years as an assistant district attorney in Milwaukee County in Wisconsin.
ABA President Judy Perry Martinez characterizes the 19th Amendment as the cornerstone of engagement for all women in our democracy. That’s why she championed “Your Vote, Your Voice, Our Democracy: The 19th Amendment at 100” as this year’s theme for Law Day, which celebrates the rule of law and is commemorated annually May 1.
As we enter 2020, I am reflecting on more than a decade of work on behalf of young lawyers. Although I am proud of my body of work, which includes three books for women lawyers and a fourth book for all millennial lawyers, I also am aware of how little we have learned about developing talent in those 10-plus years.
In recent years, Hawaii, Nebraska and Nevada introduced laws to help trafficking survivors clear their records and overcome obstacles to employment, housing and education. Other states, including Connecticut, Kansas, New Jersey and New York, are moving forward with more proposed legislation.
States are implementing or updating their own laws to better protect and support survivors. While criminal protections may permit survivors to seal, vacate or expunge records or provide them with immunity, civil remedies can help them restore lost income and pay off significant debts.
The Equal Rights Amendment has been battling the numbers since 1979, at which time it fell three states short of becoming part of the Constitution. As of 2020, however, just one state was needed to meet a state count threshold to pass the ERA—that’s until Virginia made history on Wednesday, ratifying the amendment.
The ABA Journal wants to host and facilitate conversations among lawyers about their profession. We are now accepting thoughtful, non-promotional articles and commentary by unpaid contributors.
