A Chapter of the Women's Bar Association of the State of New York (WBASNY)
  • Emerald Sponsor
  • Sapphire Sponsor

President's Message - December 2023/January 2024

by Amanda K. Rieben


“My success in law school, I have no doubt, was in large measure because of baby Jane. …. Each part of my life provided respite from the other and gave me a sense of proportion that classmates trained only on law studies lacked,” said Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg in an opinion piece she wrote for the New York Times on October 1, 2016.

      March is Women’s History month, a time when we honor women like Justice Ginsburg, who have, and who continue to make a difference in our lives and in society.  Justice Ginsburg was a pioneer of her time. She was one of the first women to attend Harvard Law School, later earning her Juris Doctorate from Columbia Law School, where she graduated joint first in her class. She is probably best known for invaluable efforts to end gender discrimination through her impactful legal work. In 1972, Justice Ginsburg co-founded the Women’s Rights Project at the American Civil Liberties Union, and later went on to serve as its General Counsel. In this capacity, Justice Ginsburg worked on numerous gender discrimination cases, and argued and won several decisive cases before the Supreme Court concerning women’s rights. In 1993, she became the second woman to serve as a justice on the Supreme Court.

      Justice Ginsburg attributed her many accomplishments in part to her children, and the balance they brought to her life.  I have been fortunate to have had several female role models in my life, who similarly found “respite” from their admirable work through their children (and grandchildren), and in doing so, set an example for me.

      My mother was a doctor. She graduated from Harvard Medical School in 1979, thirty-four years after the school accepted its first female enrollees. According to the Association of American Medical Colleges, in 1980-1981, two years after my mother graduated from medical school, only 24.9% of medical school graduates were females.  After medical school, during her medical residency, my mother gave birth to my brother.  She then gave birth to me just one year after beginning to practice medicine as a radiologist. Despite the demands of her job, the long hours, and the late-night calls, my mother was always there to support me in my various endeavors. She attended nearly every important milestone event in my life, and after a long day at work and/or a long week, she would travel around Ohio (my home state) and to other states for various gymnastics meets, tennis matches, and other sporting activities. If she was tired, she never let me know. She balanced it all with grace, instilling in me the meaning of hard work from a very young age.

      My grandmother was also a pioneer of her time.  She grew up during the depression in Springfield, Massachusetts. Despite the obstacles she faced and her limited financial means, she pursued a nursing degree from Beth Israel Hospital School of Nursing in Boston, Massachusetts. She then served as a visiting nurse for two to three years in the Northend of Boston. While raising her own family, my grandmother worked alongside my grandfather, helping to develop and build a family medical practice, which they ran from their home.  My grandparents provided their medical services on a sliding scale to help ensure families from all economic backgrounds could afford medical care.  Throughout her life, whether through nursing or otherwise, my grandmother passionately strove to help those around her in all facets of life.

      My great grandmother was similarly ahead of her time. She was one of ten children. Her father did not believe that women should be educated and forced her to drop out of high school before her senior year.  While in school she had learned how to type, and quickly utilized this skill to obtain a job as a secretary. Once married, she engaged in Spanish and French lessons.  She also found ways to give back to society, and for more than forty years typed braille books, including textbooks for the blind. She always said she wanted to learn and was also constantly teaching. She educated me on the importance of kindness. Every time I visited her, she had me recite a poem that upon further exploration was written by Henry Burton. The first part of the poem goes like this: “Have you had a kindness shown? Pass it on, pass it on! Twas not giv’n for thee alone, pass it on, pass it on! Let it travel down the years, Let it wipe another’s tears; Till in heaven the deed appears, Pass it on, pass it on.” While my great grandmother’s message was simple, the message has resonated with me for years.

      The matriarchs in my family are a constant reminder of where women were three generations ago, and hopefully where women can be three generations from now. When my grandmother attended nursing school, women had only just begun enrolling in medical school. By 2018-2019, according to the Association of American Medical Colleges, the percentage of women medical students had risen to 47.9%.  Law school enrollment has also observed similar growth trends. According to a recent study from the American Bar Association, Jurist reported that in 2023, women outnumbered men in law school for the eighth year in a row.

      The increased percentage of women earning a law degree, also represents an increased opportunity for women in the words of Justice Ginsburg to serve as “true professionals.” Justice Ginsburg also served as a law school professor and often told her law students that “…if, you are going to be a lawyer and just practice your profession, you have a skill - very much like a plumber. But if you want to be a true professional, you will do something outside yourself…something that makes life a little better for people less fortunate than you.”

      I was recently asked why I accepted my nomination as President of the Westchester Women’s Bar Association. At the time, I explained that I viewed the WWBA Presidency as an opportunity to make a difference in the community around me and to help others.  I went to law school for this very same reason, because I wanted to do “something that makes life a little better for people less fortunate than [me].”

            It has become evident during my presidency that our membership shares my aspirations. Our membership has constantly given back to the community through various coat and food drives, mentorship programs, and each member’s innovative efforts and contributions to the legal community.  As we reflect on Women’s History Month, I challenge you to consider not only the skills you acquired from law school, but in the words of Justice Ginsburg, to find additional ways you can “do something outside yourself…something that makes life a little better for people less fortunate than you.” I also encourage you to think about the women in your life who have positively impacted you, and how you can build on and learn from their successes.

PO Box 926, Hartsdale, NY 10530
Phone: (914) 505-6045
executivedirector@wwbany.org

©2014 Westchester Women's Bar Association. Attorney advertising. Disclaimer
Powered by Wild Apricot Membership Software