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Birnbaum Women's Leadership Network

The Birnbum Women’s Leadership Network (BWLN) works to advance women’s leadership at NYU Law and in the legal profession, including legal academia, more generally. Building on the Law School’s history of being at the forefront in supporting women’s entry into the legal profession, the BWLN identifies obstacles to women’s advancement in law school and in the practice of law and implements innovative, evidence-based methods to address them. Through our research, programs, and facilitation of sponsorship and mentorship for the women of NYU Law at all stages (from admitted student to alumna), the BWLN is creating a leadership pipeline of NYU Law-educated women lawyers.

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The BWLN was founded in 2017 by Sheila Birnbaum ’65 and Jeannie Forrest as a way to understand and address the ways in which gender impacts the legal community. Birnbaum and Forrest held focus groups and meetings with seasoned professional graduates and friends of the Law School, as well as current students, particularly members of Law Women and the Women of Color Collective student groups, with whom the BWLN maintains an ongoing partnership. In these candid discussion groups, conversations ranged from the number of women faculty at law schools and work/life balance to mentorship and the skills most helpful for career success. They included heartbreaking anecdotes and inspiring action plans. These discussions served as provocative, impactful, and illuminating brainstorming sessions and helped inform how the Women’s Leadership Network would move forward and grow.

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Additionally, the BWLN publishes a weekly podcast- check them out here or subscribe on iTunes!