Arnold & Porter Hosts Program for WLG | impact '23

Arnold & Porter (Washington, DC, USA) has continued its long-standing commitment to advancing women in the legal industry through concerted efforts to develop and grow an internal pipeline of accomplished women professionals poised to take on leadership roles inside and outside the firm. One program that we were proud to support and host this year during WLG | impact '23, was welcoming Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Director-General of the World Trade Organization as she addressed our employees in a firmwide online seminar around International Women’s Day. The interactive and virtual conversation centered around themes from her most recent book, Women and Leadership: Real Lives, Real Lessons, and hear her hypotheses from both her own life and from her interviews with some of the world’s prominent women leaders.

Through our partnership with DirectWomen, a non-profit organization with the mission to increase representation of women lawyers on corporate boards, we participated in their first event in London this past June. Women partners and clients of the firm were able to network and participate in a lecture titled, Unlocking the Secrets of International Board Opportunities.

Lastly, recognizing there are differentiated opportunities and challenges for partners after they have been in practice for several years, in October 2022, we launched our Women Partners Leadership & Business Development Program. The 10-month program combines virtual and in-person sessions tailored for women in their 5th to 10th years as firm partners. The inaugural cohort of 11 women partners meets monthly for education sessions on topics such as “What’s Next: Moving from Reactionary to Visionary,” “Personal Branding and Your Unique Value Proposition,” and “Leadership Communication for Influence.”

Introducing our women attorneys and professional staff to thought leaders such as Dr. Okonjo-Iweala and offering programs to women partners and clients opens a world of opportunities and will continue to have a significant impact in our firm.