Today is International Women’s Day and American Bar Association (ABA) President Mary Smith is honoring the women who make up more than 50% of law firm associates and the majority of U.S. law school students. In a statement released today, she notes that this year’s theme, “Inspire Inclusion,” serves as a powerful reminder of the ongoing journey to ensure women’s full and equal participation in every sector, including the legal field. However, Smith says there is work still to be done, citing data that women remain significantly underrepresented in senior leadership positions at U.S. law firms. Read more about the ABA's efforts to advance the status of women and girls at home and abroad. On March 1, Smith issued this statement in support of Women's History Month.

The American Bar Association (ABA) celebrates National Women’s History Month this month, recognizing the vital contributions of women who have played pivotal roles in our nation’s history and the legal profession. This year’s theme is “Women Who Advocate for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion.” According to a press release from the ABA, a recent National Association of Law Placement study shows a historic shift: for the first time, women account for more than 50% of associate attorneys in law firms.

Join the Nashville YWCA for a special Women’s History Month Stand Against Injustice webinar — Women Empowering Women — featuring community leaders and historians. This virtual lunch and learn is taking place on March 29 from noon–1 p.m. CDT. Click here to register for this free event. The webinar will focus on the legacy of the Blue Triangle Branch of the YWCA and the trailblazing African-American women who dedicated themselves to civil and human rights.

Women are leading the majority of national bar associations across the United States this year, and in celebration of Women’s History Month, the ABA Commission on Women in the Profession will host a free webinar about the advancement, challenges and power of women in bar leadership. The program will take place Friday from 12:30-2 p.m. CDT. Groups involved include the National Bar Association, National Association of Women Judges, National LGBTQ+ Bar Association, National Asian Pacific American Bar Association, National Native American Bar Association, and South Asian Bar Association. Read more about the event or register here.

The United Nations General Assembly designates today as International Day of Women Judges. The representation of women in the judiciary is significant for many reasons. In addition to ensuring that the legal system is developed with all of society in mind, it also inspires the next generation of female judges and motivates them to achieve their goals. Learn how you can celebrate this year’s theme of “Women in Justice, Women for Justice.”

Today is International Women's Day, which recognizes the social, economic, political and cultural achievements of women and commits to the acceleration towards true equality for all women and girls. In a statement released today, American Bar Association President Deborah Enix-Ross says the legal profession has much work to do to reach gender equity. Women make up only 38% of all lawyers and only 12% of managing partners, she observes. She calls on the legal community to work for faster progress. “Lawyers are committed to justice and fairness. We have a vital role to play in effecting positive change. On this day, all members of the legal community need to recommit themselves to achieving gender equity.”

The Women Law Students Association (WLSA) at Vanderbilt Law School is sponsoring career-oriented talks throughout March as part of Women’s History Month. Thursday from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. CST is a conversation with a first-generation woman lawyer, Kris Reliford, a partner at Bradley. March 24 from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. will be a conversation with Courtney Urschel, deputy chief of the human rights and special prosecutions section of the Department of Justice.

For Women’s History Month, the Chattanooga Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority will host a Women’s Commemorative Suffrage March at noon EST on March. 3. The march will begin at the Hamilton County Courthouse and end at Miller Park with a formal program. Get more information here.

A new Memphis Suffrage Monument, "Equality Trail Blazers,” was dedicated Saturday, the Commercial Appeal reports. Nashville sculptor Alan LeQuire created the monument to honor a number of individuals instrumental in the woman suffrage movement. Six are recognized with busts while seven are honored with etched portraits and narratives in glass. Among those included is journalist and anti-lynching activist Ida B. Wells, Mary Church Terrell, Marion Griffin, Rep. Joe Hanover, Charl Ormond Williams and Lois DeBerry, the second Black woman elected to the state legislature and the first to be named speaker pro-tempore. The monument sits on the promenade behind the University of Memphis School of Law, facing the Mississippi River. The city also this week renamed a section of Fourth Street in the downtown in honor of Ida B. Wells. The Commercial Appeal has more on that story.

In honor of Women’s History Month, the TBA has again rallied its past, current and future female presidents for a one-hour conversation on their experiences, influences and the impact women have made on the legal profession. The virtual panel will take place this Wednesday from 3 to 4 p.m. CDT. Attorney Julie Bhattacharya Peak will moderate the panel, which will include former TBA presidents Cindy Wyrick, Jackie Dixon, Marcy Eason, Sarah Sheppeard and Michelle Greenway Sellers, as well as current TBA President Sherie Edwards and President-elect Tasha Blakney. RSVP for the event and submit questions for the panelists here.