‘Let’s Brief It’ Podcast Celebrates Women in the Law
March 10, 2021
In honor of Women’s History Month, the D.C. Bar Law Student Community’s “Let’s Brief It” podcast has partnered with the Law Association for Women (LAW) at George Washington University Law School for a special episode celebrating women in the legal profession.
On March 12 D.C. Bar immediate past president Susan Hoffman, an alumna of GW Law, joins podcast hosts Elena Hoffman, Kirsten Wolfford, Renata Mitchell, and Sienna Heard to discuss opportunities and challenges for women attorneys and judges. In this podcast episode, Hoffman answers questions posed by students regarding her career, challenges and obstacles she has faced, balancing legal practice with motherhood, and other topics.
Hoffman, a public service partner at Crowell & Moring LLP, serves on the boards of the Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless and the Washington Council of Lawyers. She is the founding board chair of the Domestic Violence Legal Empowerment and Advocacy Project and has held leadership roles in the American Bar Association Litigation Section, the DC Bar Foundation, and the Legal Counsel for the Elderly, among others. During her tenure as D.C. Bar president, Hoffman championed a two-day conference celebrating the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment.
“She’s been through the many changes in the legal profession. She has a sense of the past, present, and future and provides important insights into the progress that has been made,” Wolfford says.
The episode also promotes “NINE: Portraits of Women in the Law,” a virtual art exhibition and reception celebrating nine influential GW Law alumnae. LAW treasurer Gina McKlveen hopes the podcast and art event will foster intergenerational dialogue between women in the law.
“The women who have broken barriers within the legal field are a source of inspiration and guidance for those of us about to enter practice today,” she says.
The art exhibit takes its title from a quote by the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Asked when there would be “enough women” on the U.S. Supreme Court, she replied, “When there are nine.” Created by women currently studying at GW Law, including McKlveen, the portraits of nine influential alumnae will be released over a nine-day period beginning on Justice Ginsburg’s birthday, March 15.
Registrants will receive a daily email that includes both a portrait and a brief bio of the individual featured. A virtual opening reception will include a keynote address by Dean Dayna Bowen Matthew, GW Law’s first woman dean, and the closing reception will feature remarks by Carmen M. Ortiz, a GW alumna and the first woman U.S. Attorney for the District of Massachusetts. Registrants will have opportunities to attend roundtable discussions with guest speakers and small group discussions with peers throughout the event.
Tune in to the March 12 episode of “Let’s Brief It,” featuring Hoffman, and register for “NINE: Portraits of Women in the Law” on the GW Law website.
