beneschwomen

Wal-Mart Appoints First Female CEO, Promotes Two Other Women to Executive Positions

Benesch — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 18:52:39 +0000

Earlier this month, Wal-Mart’s Sam’s Club appointed Rosalind Brewer as its chief executive officer. Brewer will be the first woman and first African-American to lead a business unit of Wal-Mart. Not new to blazing a path for women in business, Brewer was the first chairperson of the Wal-Mart’s President’s Council of Global Women Leaders, is a member of the Lockheed Martin Corporation Board of Directors, and has been selected as one of the Most Powerful Women in Businesses by Fortune Magazine in 2010 and 2011.

In addition to Brewer’s appointment, Wal-Mart promoted Gisel Ruiz to Wal-Mart U.S. chief operating officer and Karenann Terrell to chief information officer.

These announcement are an encouraging step toward closing the gap that currently exists for women and women minorities in business. According to a 2011 Catalyst report, women only held 14.1% of executive officer positions in Fortune 500 Companies in 2011, down from the 14.4% reported in 2010. In fact, a quarter of the Fortune 500 Companies surveyed reported having no women executive officers. These numbers decrease dramatically when evaluating the number of minority women in similar positions. A 2009 report by the White House Project revealed that only 6 percent of all female corporate officers at 327 of the largest corporations were African American.

In light of these numbers, the appointment of Brewer, Ruiz and Terrell to executive officer positions at the world’s largest retailer is certainly something professional women and their advocates should celebrate.

Posted by Malisheia O. Douglas, Associate in Benesch’s Intellectual Property Practice Group and LaVonne E. Pulliam, Associate in Benesch’s Corporate & Securities Practice Group

Stephanie S. Penninger Accepted to Indiana State Bar Association Leadership Development Academy

Benesch — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 20:43:33 +0000

Benesch is pleased to announce that Stephanie S. Penninger has been accepted into the inaugural class of the Indiana State Bar Association Leadership Development Academy.

The ISBA Leadership Development Academy was created to establish a leadership forum to empower and develop lawyers to be informed, committed and involved so that they may fill significant leadership roles in local and state bar associations, in Indiana communities and organizations and to serve as role models in matters of ethics and professionalism.

Ms. Penninger focuses her practice on representing national and regional clients in a wide variety of complex commercial litigation matters. She has experience representing employers and employees in labor and employment matters, litigating disputes arising out of the employment relationship.

Women’s Investment Strengths and Challenges Differ from Men’s

Benesch — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 19:46:06 +0000

A recent article by Forbes Magazine, “What Women Can Tell Us About Money””, highlights the differences between investment strategies undertaken by men and women. It notes that women tend to seek more advice before investing and prioritize slow and steady growth over more risky investments. As a result, women investors tend to have a higher rate of return than their male counterparts. The article goes on to highlight special challenges faced by women with respect to investing for retirement: gaps in earnings during child bearing years, longer life spans, and leaves for family care. It then provides strategies for women investors to maximize on their strengths and overcome the challenges facing working women. To read the full article, go to: http://www.forbes.com/sites/merrilllynch/2011/10/21/what-women-can-teach-us-about-money/

Posted by Krista Taggart, Associate in Benesch’s Business Reorganization Practice Group

Makeup Equals Competence in the Eye of the Beholder?

Benesch — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 13:41:40 +0000

A recent study published in PLoS One, and highlighted in a New York Times article, suggests that wearing makeup increases other people’s perception of a woman’s competence. The study judged how individuals’ reacted to women both barefaced and with makeup when given both an opportunity for a snap second glance and a longer inspection – both revealed that people tended to assume that the women with makeup were more competent, amiable, and reliable. The study suggests that a professional woman can use makeup as a tool and vary its application depending upon the impression she wishes to impart upon others. The study is the latest in a long line of studies that have argued that a “beauty bias” exists in our society. You can find the full study here: http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0025656 and the New York Times article summarizing the study here: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/13/fashion/makeup-makes-women-appear-more-competent-study.html?_r=1&src=me&ref=general What do you think? Do you perceive women with makeup differently than those without? Do you feel that others perceive you differently based upon your level of makeup?

Posted by Krista Taggart, Associate in Benesch’s Business Reorganization Practice Group

Indy Women “Step Out for Dress for Success”

Benesch — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 15:12:47 +0000

On September 22, 2011, Benesch attorneys’ and clients attended the Ninth Annual Stepping Out in Style event to benefit Dress for Success in Indianapolis. Benesch was a proud sponsor of the event which featured fashion, food, and networking in support of a great cause. The mission of Dress for Success “is to promote the economic independence of disadvantaged women by providing professional attire, a network of support and the career development tools to help women thrive in work and in life.” Dress for Success achieves this goal by providing women with professional attire appropriate for interview, the foundational pieces needed for a professional wardrobe once hired, employment retention and mentoring programs. Since its introduction to Indianapolis in 2000, Dress for Success has served over 7,000 women in the Indianapolis area and hopes to help an additional 1,200 in 2011. If you would like to learn more about Dress for Success in Indianapolis and its programs, please visit its website at: http://www.dressforsuccess.org/affiliate.aspx?sisid=31&pageid=18

Posted by Krista Taggart, Associate in Benesch’s Business Reorganization Practice Group

What Women Lawyers Really Think of Each Other

Benesch — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 14:43:52 +0000

What Women Lawyers Really Think of Each Other We asked who they’d rather work with—men or women. The answers were surprising

By Stephanie Francis Ward, ABA Journal News Now

Would women lawyers prefer to work with men or other women? The answer may depend on the age of the female lawyer you’re asking, an ABA Journal survey has found.

Of more than 1,400 respondents who answered the question, 58 percent said the gender of their colleagues made no difference, while 42 percent expressed a preference for working either with men or women.

Female supervisors age 40 and over who said gender mattered to them preferred working with women. About 80 percent said female lawyers take direction better, take constructive criticism better (59 percent) and have more discretion (79 percent).

But younger female attorneys who are following in the footsteps of that trailblazing generation don’t hold their older colleagues in such high regard. Among female lawyers under 40 who thought gender matters, 58 percent said male supervisors give better direction, give more constructive criticism (56 percent) and are better at keeping confidential information private (64 percent).

A total of 4,449 individuals who identified themselves as female attorneys answered all or part of the survey. The survey was co-authored by Linda Marks, director of the Center for WorkLife Law at the University of California’s Hastings College of the Law in San Francisco.

Why do opinions about the role of gender in the workplace depend on the age of the female attorney?

Some experts cite generational tension: Female lawyers entering the profession often don’t want to make the same personal sacrifices as their predecessors, and they question whether such sacrifices are even necessary to succeed. Senior women may not understand this mindset, much less realize that the playing field has changed, experts suggest. And that can block useful dialogue.

“I’m concerned that more senior women don’t fully understand the profound demographic changes taking place,” says Lauren Stiller Rikleen. A senior partner at Bowditch & Dewey in Framingham, Mass., she advises law firms about workplace issues. She also wrote Ending the Gauntlet: Removing Barriers to Women’s Success in the Law.

Rikleen says female partners often tell her that there will always be associates who, like themselves, will sacrifice their personal lives for successful careers. But she says younger men are also less willing to make the personal sacrifices of their predecessors.

“It’s not purely gender-based,” says Rikleen, a member of the American Bar Association’s Commission on Women in the Profession. “That says to me that if I’m a leader of a workplace, I need to think about what’s happening here in the future—and how to position this place.”

When Rikleen talks to younger women lawyers, she says, they’re often relieved that she understands their complaints. Women closer to her age are often surprised that she doesn’t share their perspective.

Arin Reeves, a Chicago lawyer who focuses on diversity consulting, also sees differing views between women younger than 35 and those older than 45. She mentions that when female partners develop a women’s initiative, the female associates generally don’t find it useful.

“There’s no such thing anymore of all the women being in the same boat, who need a particular set of strategies to be kept afloat. Now that women have a lot more models to choose from, they are becoming more selective as to which women they identify with.”

Women can be one another’s best advocates, but senior women lawyers need to understand that younger women can build careers differently, says Deborah Epstein Henry, an attorney who advises law firms on the retention and promotion of female lawyers. And younger women, Henry says, need to think about how they can have better relationships with senior female lawyers.

“They don’t have to be a role model in every capacity, but the junior women can select different things from different people,” Henry says. Her company, Flex-Time Lawyers, has chapters in New York City and Philadelphia, where members meet to network, share information and effect change in the workplace. “I really do believe that women need to move away from placing judgment on other women,” she says, “and accept more diversity among ourselves.”

Click here for full article: http://theadvocates.com/news/WhatWomenLawyersReallyThinkofEachOther.php

Indy Bar Association to Host Symposium on Women, the Law, and Leadership

Benesch — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 20:33:51 +0000

On October 5 and 6, 2011, the Indianapolis Bar Association’s Women in the Law Division will host a Symposium at the Crowne Plaza in downtown Indianapolis. The event will consist of a dinner and reception on October 5 and a day of continuing legal education seminars on October 6. The Honorable Margaret Robb, Indiana Court of Appeals, will be honored at the dinner reception. Featured speakers at the event include Roberta Liebenberg, a senior partner at Fine Kaplan and Black RPC and the immediate past chair of the American Bar Association Commission on Women in the Profession who will speak on the increasing the number of women in positions of power and leadership in all practice settings and Martha S. West, a professor from U.C. Davis who will speak on the advances of women in the legal profession, practical realities of non-work commitments and strategies for women’s achievement in law.

Wendy D. Brewer, a partner at Benesch and Vice-Chair of the firm’s Business Reorganization practice group will speak at the event on October 6 at 1:45 p.m. as part of a session on Transitions and Career Strategies. The Symposium promises to be a thought provoking and exciting event – we look forward to seeing many of you there!

For more information about the Symposium or to register, please go to:

http://www.indybar.org/events-education/calendar/2011-10/210

Posted by: Krista S. Taggart, Associate in Benesch’s Business Reorganization Practice Group

Are Men More Savvy at Social Networking?

Benesch — Thu, 07 Jul 2011 18:05:56 +0000

According to a report published by LinkedIn comparing habits of men and women users of its website, men are more savvy at using LinkedIn to advance their careers. LinkedIn defines “savviness” as “the ratio of connections that men have to the connections that women have and the ratio of male members on LinkedIn to female members. This purely quantitative definition only provides a piece of the social networking puzzle. While on average more men than women may be LinkedIn users and men may hold more connections than women, there is no way to quantify the closeness of any LinkedIn connection or evaluate how LinkedIn use advances a user’s career.

http://blog.linkedin.com/2011/06/22/men-vs-women/

Posted by Catherine Swartz, Associate in Benesch’s Public Finance Practice Group

Facebook COO Shares Insight into Inequalities between Men and Women in Leadership Roles

Benesch — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 20:14:32 +0000

Thanks to Women in eDiscovery for sharing this video http://www.womeninediscovery.org/why-we-have-too-few-women-leaders/. This insight by Facebook COO, Sheryl Sandberg, is a must see to help you with your self awareness and self promotion into a leadership position in your company.

Posted by Tamara Karel, Associate in Benesch’s Litigation Practice Group

Is it a Man’s World?

Benesch — Mon, 16 May 2011 15:12:55 +0000

Do female attorneys enter the legal profession with the expectation that they will be slighted because of their sex? One female attorney shares her story of being matched up to mentor female summer associates and new full-time associates and consistently being asked whether being a women has made it tougher for her at the law firm. This particular attorney always responded with a “No” and acknowledges that she doesn’t stop to question whether things are harder for her as a women. Instead she is too busy trying to do a good job to question whether she is being treated differently. I tend to agree with this attorney’s approach. While I’ve never really experienced any great gender discrimination, I’ve also never focused on any of the minor occurrences where I may have been treated differently. I’d rather spend my time trying to be a good attorney and not exert my time and energy questioning people’s motives in the way they treat me. Like the attorney in the article, I’d prefer to be known as being good at my job, period, not being good at my job even though I’m a woman. Check out the attorney’s commentary at http://abovethelaw.com/2011/05/it%e2%80%99s-a-man%e2%80%99s-man%e2%80%99s-man%e2%80%99s-world/.

Posted by Carrie Benedict, Associate in Benesch’s Corporate & Securities Practice Group