NAWL ADVOCACY

Advocacy Committee

The Advocacy Committee reviews public policy matters of interest to NAWL members and recommends appropriate action for the Board's consideration. The Committee may recommend, for example, a Board resolution, an official statement, targeted programming, and/or increased marketing efforts to advance NAWL's interests in a public policy area. Examples of recent advocacy initiatives include NAWL's support of certification and publication of the Equal Rights Amendment to the U.S. Constitution through a Board resolution, webinar programming, and amicus support. 

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NAWL ADVOCACY PRIORITIES

To advance the mission of NAWL and the NAWL Advocacy Committee, the Committee has been delegated authority by the Board to identify, prioritize, and recommend policy positions to present to the Board for approval, and to promote such policies by working across NAWL’s organization, membership, and established committees to undertake activities to influence public policy and legislation and to deliver messaging concerning public policy issues to educate NAWL’s membership, the broader legal community, the media, government officials, and the public. You can find all of NAWL's Advocacy Committee Policy Priorities below and for 2022-23 here.

RACIAL EQUITY

Over 150 years have passed since our civil war and the end of slavery, yet this country has yet to fulfill the hard-won promise of civil liberties and equality under the law. As a nation, we must all come together and demand that those charged with enforcing our Constitution and laws be the standard-bearers of that promise. Only when every American feels safe and that they have the same rights to live in dignity and equality will that promise be realized.

Heeding the words of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. that it is “not merely for the vitriolic words and the violent actions of the bad people, but for the appalling silence and indifference of the good people who sit around,” NAWL renews our commitment to advocate for justice and equality for all. NAWL stands unified with other organizations supporting the principle of equal justice for all and the uniform application of the rule of law regardless of color, gender, race, religious or political affiliation. We call upon our leaders to ensure that states and localities fulfill the 14^th Amendment’s guarantees of due process and equal protection for all. We call upon our members and the legal profession to join us and employ the knowledge, skills, and values we have as lawyers to implement strategies that will eradicate systemic racial injustice.

• NAWL Resolution in Support of Racial Equity and Justice

  October 6, 2020: NAWL's mission is "to advocate for the equality of women under the law." We understand that this mission must be served in an equitable and intersectional way. As such, the NAWL Board of Directors has released a resolution on Racial Equity and Justice and has committed to applying these principles within our organization and encouraging our partners to do the same. Read more>>

• NAWL's Statement and Call to Action in Response to the Murder of George Floyd

  June 1, 2020: We write to you with heavy hearts as our nation has once again been shocked by the senseless killing of another Black person at the hands of the police. The murder of George Floyd is a reminder of the grim inequities that run rampant in our society. We are not witnessing a tear in the fabric of our democracy, but further evidence that our democracy was never fully fabricated – it has and continues to elude and exclude those who have historically been marginalized based on race, gender, or sex. These inequities are reflected in victims like George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and countless other Black women and men, as well as the disproportionate health and unemployment impacts of COVID-19 on the Black community. This country is at an inflection point from which we can and must collectively move forward in recognition that injustice against one community is an affront to all of our communities. We must support one another to fight institutional racism and bigotry. Read more>>

• NAWL Joins NAPABA in Denouncing Racism as We Focus on the Challenges of the Coronavirus

  April 2, 2020: Seven national bar associations released a joint statement denouncing the rising number of incidents involving anti-Asian discrimination and racist remarks related to COVID-19. Calling for unity in these challenging times are the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA), the American Bar Association (ABA), the Hispanic National Bar Association (HNBA), the National Associations of Women Lawyers (NAWL), the National LGBT Bar (LGBT Bar), the National Native American Bar Association (NNABA), and the South Asian Bar Association of North America (SABA North America). Learn more>>

GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE

On Friday, April 29th, 2022 the NAWL Board passed a resolution stating that commits its collective voice and the power of law to advance efforts and initiatives to end gender-based violence around the world, and to actively support, promote, and advocate for these efforts and initiatives under the law. More Information>>>

REPRODUCTIVE JUSTICE

September 13, 2021: NAWL commits its collective voice and the power of law to advance reproductive justice in the U.S. and around the world and to actively support, promote, and advocate for reproductive justice under the law. More Information>>>

VOTING RIGHTS

August 27, 2021: NAWL remains steadfast in its commitment to protecting voting rights and access to the polls, supports legislative efforts that would expand, restore, and strengthen equal access and protection of the right to vote for eligible voters, and opposes legislation that creates barriers preventing eligible voters from exercising their right to vote, which disproportionately impact women and people of color. More information>>>

PAY EQUITY 

November 5, 2021: NAWL maintains that advocacy to ensure pay equity and opportunity is critical for advancing NAWL’s mission because pay equity is integral to economic equity and equity of opportunity, and therefore essential for women to thrive, advance, and be recognized for their contributions in the legal profession, and across all industries. More information>>

EQUAL RIGHTS AMENDMENT (ERA)

The Equal Rights Amendment was passed by Congress in 1972, and Virginia became the 38th state to ratify the amendment in 2020, thus fulfilling all constitutional requirements set forth in Article V, yet the U.S. Archivist has not yet published it. On March 6, 2020 the National Association of Women Lawyers (NAWL) approved a resolution affirming NAWL’s steadfast support for the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) to the United States Constitution.

The ERA states simply that “Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of sex.” Aiding in the passage of the ERA directly serves NAWL’s mission of providing leadership, a collective voice, and essential resources to advance women in the legal profession and advocating for the equality of women under the law. More Information>>>

On July 1, 2020, NAWL joined the Women’s Movement Amicus Brief in Support of the Equal Rights Amendment with 52 Women’s and Social Justice Groups including the ERA Coalition, the Feminist Majority, TIME’S UP, YWCA, NOW, Black Women’s Roundtable, Voto Latino, League of Women Voters, Legal Momentum, Hadassah, Union Theological Seminary, and others. Read the brief>>>

On January 10, 2022, NAWL and advocates representing 52 organizations for women's equality filed an amicus brief in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit in the case filed by the Attorneys General of the last three states to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment –– Nevada, Illinois, and Virginia –– to force U.S. Archivist David S. Ferriero to publish the ERA to the U.S. Constitution. The Court previously dismissed the case for supposed lack of jurisdiction. Read the brief>>>

DIVERSITY & INCLUSION IN THE LEGAL PROFESSION

The mission of the National Association of Women Lawyers is to provide leadership, a collective voice, and essential resources to advance women in the legal profession and advocate for the equality of women under the law. 

• NAWL Diversity & Inclusion Toolkit for Turbulent Times

  This is a stressful time for law firms. The COVID-19 pandemic has negatively affected firm revenues, many firms have their lawyers working remotely, and furloughs and layoffs of lawyers seem to have begun in earnest. It is essential that during these uncertain and turbulent times law firms do not make decisions that disproportionately and inappropriately affect women and people of color (POC), which has been the case in past economic downturns. This toolkit is designed to assist law firms in implementing processes and procedures that will assure their personnel decisions during these difficult times are all free of unjustified and discriminatory consequences. Read the D&I Toolkit here.

• NAWL Stands with NNABA and Calls for Inclusion of Native Americans in the Legal Profession

  On June 26th, 2020, the National Native American Bar Association (NNABA) wrote The Center for Women in Law and the NALP Foundation in critical response to the ‘exclusion of Native American Women Law Students from “Women in Color - Law School Experiences” Study’. The issues raised in NNABA’s letter have stirred the National Association of Women Lawyers (NAWL) to reflect and take action.  Read the open letter here.

• NAWL Signs Open Letter to Federal Judiciary Supporting Diversity & Inclusion

  NAWL joined 15 leading companies and bar associations signed an open letter to the federal judiciary offering positive encouragement to members of the Judiciary to keep diversity and inclusion efforts in mind as we move into an extended period of remote work for many. Read the open letter here

AMICUS SUPPORT

The Amicus Committee reviews requests for participation as amicus curiae in cases of interest to NAWL members.  The Committee recommends appropriate cases to the NAWL President for consideration.  The Committee reviews amicus briefs drafted by other organizations and considers the appropriateness of NAWL's signing on to the brief.  In other cases, NAWL drafts its own amicus brief and sometimes solicits other organizations' joining NAWL in its amicus brief.  Issues on which NAWL has provided amicus support include enforcement of Title IX, employment discrimination, women's health, and domestic violence issues.  More information>>