FEBRUARY LUNCHEON MEETING

RENO CITY ATTORNEY AND IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT

OF THE INTERNATIONAL MUNICIPAL LAWYERS' ASSOCIATION

Patricia Lynch has been Reno City Attorney since 1987. She has been active in her professional peer group, the International Municipal Lawyers' Association (IMLA), and was elected to the IMLA Board of Directors in 1989. She recently completed a year as President of IMLA and has been actively involved with the IMLA International Committee. As a member of IMLA delegation, she attended a regional World Jurist Association (WJA) seminar in Kiev, Ukraine, in October of 1998 where she was part of a panel on "Creating Functional Local Government Democracies." She presented a paper on "The Broken Window Syndrome-The Connection between Nuisance and Crime." This fall she led an IMLA delegation to the 19^th Biennial Conference of the World Jurist Association in Budapest and Vienna where she presented a paper on the role of volunteers in local government. A highlight of the conference was the commemoration of the 10^th anniversary of the fall of the Iron Curtain with the dedication of a monument at the Austro-Hungarian border where the barbed wire was first cut. At the end of the conference, Patricia traveled to Krakow, Poland, where she had the opportunity to have dinner with the President of the Polish Parliament and members of the Krakow City Council.

Cost is $12.00 (includes beverage) Make your reservations today by calling Randi at Vicky Mendoza's office, 324-7533.

In March, the Gender Equity Committee will bring us up to date with Title IX and the University of Nevada Reno.

In April, Carol Cooke of Cooke and Story will discuss "Employment Law in the New Millennium".

In May, we will have a panel discussion about "Bar Associations - What opportunities do they provide for Women Lawyers?" Stay tuned for more details.

CARSON WOMEN LAWYER'S LUNCH

On Wednesday, February 16, the Carson chapter will be meeting for a casual deli lunch at noon in the old Supreme Court Room at the Attorney General's Office at 100 N. Carson Street. The cost will be less than $10.

By popular demand, we will be showing another video with Loretta LeRoche, a nationally recognized speaker in the area of stress management and an educator associated with the Harvard Medical School. The master of mirth will present "Humor Your Stress," addressing ways to simplify and find joy in this world dominated by faxing, phoning and whining.

Beginning in April of 2000, we will send the monthly newsletter by mail only to the dues-paying members of NNWL. This is an effort to make more efficient use of our limited financial resources by minimizing excess copying and postage costs. We also plan to have a copy of each month's newsletter posted on our website at: www.NNWLA.org. If you enjoy receiving your NNWLA SCOOP by mail, make sure that you get your dues submitted now. If you are a member who would prefer NOT to receive a hard copy of the newsletter by conventional mail, please be sure to so indicate on the Membership Registration form.

JUSTICE DEBORAH A. AGOSTI

CHRISTINE BAILEY

JANET CHUBB

CAROL A. COOKE

HONORABLE VALERIE COOKE

JUSTICE BARBARA FINLEY

NANCY GHUSN

JILL GREINER

JENNY D. HUBACH

NATHALIE HUYNH

LINDA LINTON

VICTORIA MENDOZA

ANN MORGAN

SHELLY O'NEILL

BRIDGET ROBB PECK

MARGO PISCEVICH

DEBRA ROBINSON

MYRA SHEEHAN

SHIRLEY SMITH

SANDRA WILSON

JOAN WRIGHT

ANNUAL MEMBERS

KATHLEEN BAKER

PAULA BAUER

HONORABLE JANET BERRY

LISA BRUCE

ALICE CAMPOS-MERCADO

NANCY CYRA

AUDREY DAMONTE

LINDA NAGY DAYKIN

FRANKIE SUE DEL PAPA

BONNIE FLEISCHER DRINKWATER

MIRANDA DU

KIM FENNER

LEIGH GODDARD

MAUREEN SHEPPARD GRISWALD

BARBARA GRUENEWALD

ANN O. HALL

LYNNE JONES

NANCY ANN LEEDER

JANE LONG

MELODY LUETKEHANS

ANN PRICE McCARTHY

MELANIE MEEHAN-CROSSLEY

KATHLEEN NONEMAN

KELLY PETERSON

GLORIA PETRONI

MARGO PISCEVICH

MAIZE PUSICH

MARILYN SKENDER

AMY TIRRE

JILL WHITBECK

B. PHYLLIS WHITTKER

Library Holiday - Monday, February 21, Closed for Washington's Birthday

William O=Mara

The date of the Bar Leadership Workshop in Reno has changed again. The State Bar's Board of Governors meeting is on the previously scheduled March 24 date.

UNR WOMEN'S BASKETBALL GAMES

There are only three more UNR Women's Basketball games this season: February 11, 13 and March 4. See you at the games!

(it's all small stuff)

• The Value of Time

• Reasons for Time Management
• Balance the Long View & the Short View of Time Management
• Overcoming Procrastination - 10 Tips
• Handling the Major Time Wasters
• Getting Organized - Murphy's Law
• Covey's Time Management Matrix
• Silver's Time/Life Management Spiral of Achievement
• Setting Goals, Achieving Goals
• Mind Mapping for Immediate Results
• Feel the Urgency, Do the Deed!
• Begin with the End in Mind

On the eve of the millennium, women lawyers are achieving a goal that has thus far eluded them. They are becoming leaders, on an equal basis with males, in the legal profession, in the marketplace and in the world. Equality was not a realistic goal during most of the last century. Even 25 years ago, recalls Mary B. Cranston, "women lawyers walked in the door of most law firms and saw nothing but males in grey suits." There might have been a few women, but they were almost invisible and frequently hidden in the quiet alcoves of probate and family law. In fact, the male culture was so entrenched that many attorneys didn=t even notice that female lawyers were missing.

"Today, the legal profession is made up of a rainbow of very visible women," says Cranston, who frequently speaks to groups of female attorneys. "We are reaching a critical mass that will propel many more of us into leadership. In the next decade, females will hold many leadership positions as males. A common set of experiences and a willingness to help other women will propel us through the 'glass ceiling'."

Cranston suggests that women start moving into leadership roles by visualizing the way in which they want to serve others. Then they move toward their goal by visualizing the kind of life they want to create for themselves. "You can set a goal and see it in your mind," she explains. "Gradually opportunities matching your vision will be presented to you." One way to move into positions of leadership, she suggests, is to volunteer for community activities, to see how the mantle of leadership fits.

Not all women are suited to leading others. "People become effective leaders only when they become clear about who they are and what they want out of life," reminds Cranston. "Shaking off self-imposed and societally imposed limitations brings us closer to clarity. It may take a long time to recognize the limitations that hold us back because they are often held on a subconscious level. Sometimes just bringing our fears into the conscious mind deflates their power."

Just the simple process of creating a clear vision of your goals will often provide the push forward to achieving them. "When I was younger," confesses Cranston, "my vision was to be recognized for my accomplishments. It was not a profound goal-but it was my goal. I wanted to get A=s in law school and then grab the brass ring of partnership. Only after I was made partner did I realize there was more to life. I knew in my gut that being a partner was not making me happy, and that I needed another vision for my future. I created the vision of becoming a litigator because I wanted the challenge of putting a case together and the risk of winning or losing everything at trial." Although she knew where she wanted to go, Cranston=s vision didn=t show her how to achieve it.

"There weren't a lot of women litigators, and there were even fewer women defending Fortune 100 clients," she says. "So I began to envision myself as a trial attorney advising clients in corporate boardrooms, making bold arguments in front of juries and crafting winning strategies. While holding onto my new vision, I continued to provide the best legal services I could to my existing clients. Each day I took time to picture myself as a successful litigator. Over time, one small opportunity led to another, and eventually I reached my goal. To this day, I am convinced that visualization brought the necessary opportunities to me."

Most people=s goals shift and change as their lives and careers advance, but the technique of visualizing the life you want works at any stage. Cranston updated her goals after finding success in trial law. "After a few years," she explains, "I realized that my goals were changing, and that really wanted to be of service to others. I no longer dreamed of recognition and achievement." So she again began to visualize her future, but this time she saw herself making a difference in other people=s lives. "I didn=t know in what capacity I would serve, but I saw myself giving to others", she says. Eventually, leadership roles were presented to Crantson, and she took them with the goal of providing service to others. She is now providing service to the several bar associations, community organizations and educational facilities, while serving as the chairperson of Pillsbury, Madison & Sutro, LLP.

Others agree that we can indeed create our own lives. Women's relationships with others can be the key to success in a law practice and in leadership. Roger Herman, a certified management consultant and futurist with The Herman Group, believes that women have an edge in building relationships with others. "Because society has socialized them to listen, to notice nonverbal communication and to build consensus with others," he says, "women lawyers usually create large networks of contacts. These communication skills and the large networks of contacts can propel them into leadership roles."

Herman believes that women's superior communication skills will serve them well in the next century. "Women take the 'counselor' part of the 'counselor at law' seriously," he says. "They listen to the needs of others and come up with creative solutions. Because of their skills, women lawyers are first in line for future leadership positions."

The current trend toward self-exploration is primarily directed toward women. However, both men and women would like to advance their careers while at the same time create more peace and joy in their daily lives. This technique of visualizing one's future can propel all of us into a position in which we can be happy while providing leadership and service to others. Cranston looks to Nelson Mandela for inspiration. Mandela considered the very human fear of success and leadership in a famous speech: "Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that frightens us. We ask ourselves, 'Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous?'. . . We are born to manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us. It's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others."