Vol. 31, No. 3, #5. From the President.

• Author: Author: Gay V. Woodhouse

Wyoming Bar Journal

2008.

Vol. 31, No. 3, #5.

From the President

Wyoming Bar Journal Issue: June, 2008 Author: Gay V. Woodhouse From the President . . .

Women's Legal ForumWe all accept that men and women are different. In fact, for the most part, we enjoy and celebrate the differences. John Gray instructed us about the interpersonal communication differences in his book Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus. We learned that women like to be listened to but don't like to have an instantaneous solution proposed. Women like to feel that they are being heard. Men like to resolve problems with a minimum of discussion or, as Larry the Cable Guy says, they like to "Get 'er done!" Women get the job done too, but not necessarily by using the same strategy or approach.

How do those differences translate into the work world and more specifically, into the world of law, courtrooms and boardrooms? Both men and women have strengths and weaknesses in communication styles. How can we capitalize on the differences and not let less efficient means of communication create a barrier for us as women?

In April, the first Women's Legal Forum was held in Lander, Wyoming, with over 70 attendees. The primary focus was on acknowledging, honoring and respecting the differences between men and women, while at the same time learning how we can enhance our effectiveness as women in the field of law through our communication styles. One of the basic premises is that the legal field continues to be essentially a man's world.

Almost everyone in attendance could tell of a recent experience with a client or someone else in the legal arena who thought that because she was a woman, she must be the secretary or receptionist. Shortly after I returned from the Women's Legal Forum, one of my own clients asked me about one of my female associates, "What is she - a secretary or somethin'?" I assured him that my associate is an attorney who had been practicing law for the past several years and was well qualified to assist him with his legal issue. Even though we do not dwell on it, we have all had experiences in which a client thought what we had to say was less valuable or less credible than that of a male counterpart.

In response to a statement made by one male friend, "I hope you aren't teaching women to be men." No, the purpose of the Forum was not to teach women how to be like men. None of the women or men that I know believe that would be a desirable outcome. As men and women, we...