NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF WOMEN JUDGES HOLDS SUCCESSFUL MIDYEAR MEETING AND LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE; U.S SUPREME COURT JUSTICE ELENA KAGAN, FORMER U.S DISTRICT COURT JUDGE NANCY GERTNER ADDRESS ATTENDEES

2012 Midyear Meeting Attendees at Harvard Law School’s Wasserstein’s Hall

The National Association of Women Judges returned to Boston, Massachusetts for its 2012 Midyear Meeting and Leadership Conference March 9-11. After more than a year of thoughtful planning and leadership, NAWJ President Judge Amy L. Nechtem of Massachusetts’s Juvenile Court welcomed over 300 members of the legal community of judges, attorneys, and academics in Cambridge for an dynamic meeting covering the topics of feminism, the United States Supreme Court, the role of courts in preserving democracy, and immigration. Attendees enjoyed the lovely Charles Hotel in Cambridge and later were welcomed at Harvard Law School, The John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, and the Schlesinger Library of Women's History in America. Time was also spent in Cambridge exploring the interesting nooks of the historic city. This amazing weekend of activities would not have been possible without the additional energy and dedication of the Conference Planning Committee including members NAWJ President Hon. Amy L. Nechtem, NAWJ Past President Hon. Fernande (Nan) R.V. Duffly, NAWJ District One Director Hon. Ariane Vuono, NAWJ District One Deputy Director Hon. MaryLou Muirhead, Hon. Martine Carroll, Hon. Cynthia Cohen, Hon. Terry M. Craven, Hon. Leslie Donahue, Hon. Ellen Flatley, Hon. Patricia A. Flynn, Hon. Martha P. Grace, Hon. Patricia Hurst, Hon. Bonnie H. MacLeod-Mancuso, Hon. Antoinette E. McLean Leoney, Hon. Sally F. Padden, Hon. Mary Lou Rup, Hon. Karyn Scheier, Hon. Kathe M. Tuttman, Hon. Mary Dacey White, and the Hon. Gabrielle Wolohojian.

The exciting programs, speakers and activities would not have been possible without the devoted commitment of the NAWJ Friends Committee Co-Chairs Karen Green, partner at Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP and Susan Alexander, Executive Vice President and General Counsel at Biogen IDEC. Approximately 50 law firms, corporations, universities, and individual contributors supported this year’s Midyear Conference. Thank you all for your support of the 2012 Midyear Leadership Conference and the National Association of Women Judges.

Gold Sponsors: Bingham McCutchen; Biogen Idec Inc.; Choate Hall & Stewart LLP; EMC Corporation; Foley Hoag LLP; Goodwin Procter LLP; Harvard Law School; Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo, P.C.; Ropes & Gray LLP; State Street Corporation; Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP, and WilmerHale.

Silver Sponsors: Burns & Levinson LLP; Chartis; CRA International; Mass Mutual; Millennium Pharmaceuticals, Inc.; Partners HealthCare; Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP; and West, a Thomson Reuters Business.

Bronze Sponsors: Boston University School of Law; Cabot Corporation; Charles River Associates; Collora LLP; Cooley Manion Jones LLP; Fidelity Investments; Fletcher Tilton PC; Goulston & Storrs; Lena Goldberg; Nutter McClennen & Fish LLP; Proskauer Rose LLP; Sherin and Lodgen LLP; Sugarman, Rogers, Barshak & Cohen, P.C.; Todd & Weld LLP; and Waters Corporation.

With additional support from: Adler Pollock & Sheehan P.C.; Boston College Law School; Boston Scientific Corporation; Cetrulo & Capone LLP; Conn Kavanaugh Rosenthal Peisch & Ford, LLP; H.C. Starck Inc.; Harvard Pilgrim Health Care; Hirsch Roberts Weinstein LLP; Justine H. Brousseau, Kimball Brousseau LLP; Nina Joan Kimball, Kimball Brousseau LLP; Hon. Karyn Scheier; Shilepsky Hartley Robb Casey Michon LLP; Suffolk University Law School; Sunstein Kann Murphy & Timbers LLP; Tarlow, Breed, Hart & Rodgers, P.C.; Witmer, Karp, Warner & Ryan LLP and the Woman’s Bar Association of Massachusetts.

For more information, please contact NAWJ Executive Director Marie Komisar in Washington, D.C at 202-393-0222, or email: mkomisar@nawj.org.