This committee examines issues related to gender fairness in the legal profession and develops programs that provide a forum for the discussion of issues related to gender fairness, including seminars and networking opportunities. The committee promotes awareness of these issues within the profession and encourages law firms and corporate legal departments to sign the “Gender Initiative Commitment Statement.”
2024-2025 Co-Chairs:
Anna Archer, U.S. Courts - Southern District of Texas
Farrell Hochmuth, BakerHostetler
Monica Uddin, AZA
Resources
Click Here to View Full List of Resources
For more information on this committee, contact HBA Associate Executive Director Ashley Steininger at ashleyg@hba.org or 346-471-3431.
Increased Lactation Facilities in the Harris County Court Complex
One of our key initiatives during the 2023-2024 Bar Year, under the leadership of President Diana Gomez, was to work with the Harris County District Courts, led by Judge Latosha Payne, Judge Ravi K. Sandill, Judge Michael Gomez, and Judge Cheryl Thornton, as well as the Harris County Commissioners Court, led by Commissioner Lesley Briones, to install increased lactation facilities in the Harris County Court Complex.
The HBA Gender Fairness Committee spearheaded our efforts to purchase multiple lactation pods. It is particularly special to recognize that all of the current and former women presidents of the HBA and HYLA came together to support this project.
Learn more about the initiative in the May/June 2024 issue of The Houston Lawyer here.
Ribbon Cutting Ceremony for First Lactation Pod
Harris County Civil Courthouse
May 8, 2024
(Photo on left - L to R: Judge Cheryl Elliott Thornton, 164th District Court and Gender Fairness Committee Co-Chair; Stephanie Noble, Vinson & Elkins LLP and Gender Fairness Committee Co-Chair; Harris County Precinct 4 Commissioner Lesley Briones; Judge Ravi K. Sandill, 127th District Court; Judge Latosha Lewis Payne, 55th District Court; 2023-2024 HBA President Diana Gomez)
One of the HBA’s key initiatives during the 2023-2024 Bar Year, 2023-2024 HBA President Diana Gomez partnered with the Harris County District Courts, led by Judge Latosha Lewis Payne, Judge Ravi K. Sandill, Judge Michael Gomez, and Judge Cheryl Elliott Thornton, as well as the Harris County Commissioners Court, led by Commissioner Lesley Briones, the Administrative Office of the District Courts of Harris County, and the Office of the County Engineer to install lactation pods in the Harris County Court Complex. The first lactation pod opened at the Harris County Civil Courthouse on May 8, 2024.
The HBA led the fundraising efforts to purchase the lactation pods. These efforts were spearheaded by the HBA’s Gender Fairness Committee.
HBA President Diana Gomez said this is a crucial access to justice initiative that will make a material difference in the daily lives of many young mothers in the legal profession and greater Houston community.
(Photo on right - L to R: Cater Dugan, Norton Rose Fulbright US LLP and Gender Fairness Committee Co-Chair; 2023-2024 HBA President Diana Gomez; Judge Cheryl Elliott Thornton, 164th District Court and Gender Fairness Committee Co-Chair; and Stephanie Noble, Vinson & Elkins LLP and Gender Fairness Committee Co-Chair)
“As a mother, an attorney, and president of the Houston Bar Association, I am incredibly proud to join our partners in unveiling the very first lactation pod at the Harris County Civil Courthouse,” said Gomez. “These lactation pods underscore the importance of women in the legal profession and sends the message that women are welcome and belong in the courthouse.”
In addition to the funds raised for the pod being installed at the Harris County Civil Courthouse, the Houston Bar Association obtained funding for lactation pods to be installed in the Harris County Criminal Justice Center, Harris County Jury Assembly Room, and the Harris County Robert W. Hainsworth Law Library.
The lactation pod for the County Law Library is funded by a $24,500 grant from the Texas Bar Foundation. The lactation pod for the Criminal Justice Center is funded by a $30,000 grant from the Houston Bar Foundation, which is the charitable arm of the HBA.*
(Photo on left - L to R: 2023-2024 HBA President Diana Gomez; Harris County Precinct 4 Commissioner Lesley Briones; Houston Bar Foundation Chair Linda Hester; Stephanie Noble, Vinson & Elkins LLP and Gender Fairness Committee Co-Chair; and former HBA Executive Director Mindy G. Davidson)
“The Houston Bar Foundation is proud to support such an important access to justice initiative,” said HBF Chair Linda Hester. “We are thrilled to support this lactation pod with funds from the Foundation’s new annual grant program, established to broaden the Foundation’s impact, which is dedicated to the Houston community.”
Stephanie Noble is a co-chair of the HBA Gender Fairness Committee and a partner at Vinson & Elkins, which generously donated funds for the initiative.
"This is a meaningful milestone for our legal community, not only because mothers now have much needed access to lactation spaces in our courthouses, but also because the Houston Bar came together to identify and address a need. Support came from everywhere, through firms, local groups, and individuals. It's lovely to see our legal community banding together to make lasting change."
The HBA’s partnership with Harris County entities to bring the lactation pod initiative to fruition was recently recognized by the 2024 State Bar of Texas Stars of Texas Bars Award for Outstanding Partnership.
(Photo on right - L to R: Alistair Dawson, Beck Redden LLP, Former HBA President and Project TRAIN Committee Co-Chair; Harris County Precinct 4 Commissioner Lesley Briones; William Hagans,Hagans Law Firm)
Thank You To These Donors For Supporting the Installation of Lactation Pods at the Harris County Court Complex
$30,000 and above
Houston Bar Foundation
$20,000 and above
Texas Bar Foundation
$15,000 and above
Vinson & Elkins LLP
$5,000 and above
Beck Redden LLP
Mindy and Joshua Davidson
Haynes & Boone LLP
$2,500 and above
Baker Botts L.L.P.
Chamberlain Hrdlicka
Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP
Susman Godfrey LLP
Winston Strawn LLP
$1,000 and above
Andrews MyersBakerHostetler LLP
Harris County Public Defender's Office
HBA Gender Fairness Committee
Hughes Watters & Askanase, LLP
Lynne Liberato
Kristin Kruse Lotz
LyondellBasell
Porter Hedges LLP
Brooks Tobin and Jacquelyn Rex Tobin
Yetter Coleman LLP
$500 and above
AZA: Ahmad, Zavitsanos & Mensing
Gregory Cokinos/Cokinos Young
Judge Tanya Garrison
Harris County Attorney Christian D.
Menefee
Catherine Hounfodji
Attorney Stefanie M. Gonzalez
Quintero
Quadros Migl & Crosby PLLC
Other
Amar Raval P.C.
Anna Archer
Valisa Berber-Thayer
Brooksie Bonvillain Boutet
Melanie Bragg, Bragg Law
Natasha Breaux
Lauren Brogdon
Ellen Conley
Kate David - Husch Blackwell
Kaitlyn Dawson
Attorney Donald Wyatt PC
Judge Keith P. Ellison
Caite Irene Evans
Polly Fohn
Laura Gibson
Diana Gomez
Morgan Haenchen
Kelly E. Hanen
Jennifer A. Hasley
Laura Leckman Hedge
Fraser Holmes
Other (cont'd)
Richard T. Howell, Jr.
Phillip R. Livingston
Stephanie Lucie
Kim Phuong Mai
Brittny Curry Mandarino
McCarthy Arntz ADR
Shayne and Hon. David Newell
Stephanie L. Noble
Kelli Norfleet
Courtney Palm
Julie and Tom Pradel
The Greenwood Prather Law Firm PC
Robin Raasch
Emery Richards
Denise Scofield
Re'Necia Sherald
Ashley Gagnon Steininger
Jessica Hart Steinmann
Kaylen Strench
Amy Dunn Taylor
Donna Thomisee
Judge Cheryl Elliott Thornton, 164th
Civil District Court
Samantha Torres
Monica Uddin
Roy and Dominique Varner
Vasquez Waite PLLC
Brittany Ringel Walton
Jordan Warshauer
Tiffany Santhavi Watts
Krisina Zuñiga
Recent Committee Events
Houston Dash: HBA Friends and Family Day, May 5
Thank you to everyone who joined the HBA Gender Fairness Committee to watch the Houston Dash take on the Kansas City Current on May 5!
Equal Pay: Title VII and Women's Soccer, May 1
The HBA Gender Fairness Committee dissected the intricacies of equal pay through the lens of Title VII and women's soccer at a virtual lunchtime CLE on May 1, with speaker Drew Washington (Winston & Strawn).
10th Annual Speed Mentoring Event, Feb. 15
Thank you to the mentors and mentees who took part in the HBA Gender Fairness Committee's 10th Annual Speed Mentoring event on February 15. Thank you to Vinson & Elkins LLP for hosting the program!
Empowering the Next Generation of Women Attorneys: HBA Spring Mentoring Event, April 19
Women attorneys licensed five years or less joined the HBA Gender Fairness Committee’s Spring Mentoring Event at Vinson & Elkins LLP on April 19, featuring an evening of speed mentoring and small group table discussions, as well as a happy hour. Thank you to the HBA Gender Fairness Committee for organizing this event!
Gender Fairness Committee Presents Balancing the Scales on March 8
The HBA Gender Fairness Committee and Judge Ravi K. Sandill hosted a movie screening and fireside chat with filmmaker Sharon Rowen for Balancing the Scales, a documentary about the the challenges for women in the legal profession.
Houston Law Offices Commit to Gender Parity
Sixty-seven Houston law offices were the inaugural supporters of the Houston Bar Association’s 2021 Gender Fairness Commitment Statement. Originally drafted in 2006 and first revised in 2018 with a historical focus to advance women in the law, the current revised statement expands on previous versions to include gender diverse groups. It also broadens the language to better accommodate smaller firms, in-house legal departments, and other legal employers and removes a target date, allowing law offices to develop their own timeline for achieving measurable gender parity.
“We are proud that our members and member organizations are strongly supporting gender fairness in the legal environment,” said HBA President Jennifer Hasley.
The statement was developed by the association’s Gender Fairness Committee with input from the Diversity & Inclusion Committee and the LGBTQ+ Committee and approved by the HBA Board of Directors. The statement is an opportunity for law firms, legal departments, and other institutions to pledge support for advancing gender equity in the legal profession.
Participants commit to address gender diversity in leadership positions with a material increase in representation by a target date set by the organization; implement objective, unbiased criteria and procedures for achieving equity and interrupting bias in recruitment, hiring, evaluation, assignment, retention, and promotion of attorneys into partner and/or leadership positions; and promote policies, practices, opportunities, transparency, and accountability to achieve gender equity.
Participants further pledge to obtain and act on feedback from employees and others regarding efforts to increase gender equity and equality; offer professional development opportunities that support gender equality for attorneys at all levels throughout their careers; identify and promote opportunities for gender diversity through leadership roles and advancement within the organization; and allow for flexible work arrangements that are an equitable option for all attorneys.
The following participants have demonstrated their commitment to the principles in the Houston Bar Association’s 2021 Gender Fairness Commitment Statement:
Abraham, Watkins, Nichols, Agosto, Aziz & Stogner* |
Dentons US LLP* |
The Lanier Law Firm, PC* |
Porter Hedges LLP* |
* Original signatory organization
Videos
These recorded programs are available for CLE credit for HBA members at hba.org/watchcle.
"Work. Life. Unbalanced. Juggling Your Legal Career and Caregiving During COVID-19" from November 12, 2020.
"Business Development for Women: How to Overcome Obstacles and Thrive" from September 29, 2020. Co-sponsored by Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP, Blank Rome LLP, and KoonsFuller PC (made possible by Shareholder Taylor Toombs Imel).
"Practical Tools and Information for Gender Equality in the Legal Profession" from June 30, 2020. Co-sponsored by Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP, Blank Rome LLP, and KoonsFuller PC (made possible by Shareholder Taylor Toombs Imel). Program Agenda & Speaker Bios | Gender Fairness Toolkit
Thank you to all the firms who signed the 2018 Gender Fairness Commitment Statement.
Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP
*Caldwell Boudreaux Lefler PLLC
*Cersonsky, Rosen & Garcia, P.C.
Fibich, Leebron, Copeland & Briggs
*Fogler, Brar, Ford, O’Neil and Gray, L.L.P.
The Gilbert Law Firm, LLP
Hendershot, Cannon & Hisey, P.C.
Jordan, Lynch & Cancienne PLLC
*Kane Russell Coleman & Logan PC
Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith, LLP
MacIntyre McCulloch & Stanfield, L.L.P.
*Nistico, Crouch & Kessler, P.C.
Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart, P.C.
*Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP
*Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittmann LLP
Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, LLP
Roberts Markel Weinberg Butler Hailey PC
*Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease LLP
Firms listed with an asterisk (*) signed the statement before March 1, 2019.