Davis Graham & Stubbs has seen growing numbers of women in all areas of practice and has created numerous benefits that are particularly attractive to women lawyers, such as flexible work arrangements and a ten-week paid maternity leave for eligible associates. As part of our commitment to the success of women, we have organized our efforts in a program called Women Working Together. The mission of this program is to promote women lawyers both inside and outside the firm, thereby supporting a growing entrepreneurial spirit and personal satisfaction in our various practices.
Since its inception, Women Working Together has organized internal mentoring sessions in which women lawyers at DGS can discuss issues such as career development, business development, and work/life balance with other DGS lawyers who have experienced these issues first-hand. WWT has also hosted forums for women in the metropolitan region that feature speakers on a broad range of topics of interest to women professionals generally. Our first such event presented a discussion on how to become involved in governmental boards and commissions by a panel of distinguished women in government, including Rebecca Contreras from the Office of Presidential Personnel at the White House, and officials from the State of Colorado and the City and County of Denver. Another reception highlighted the achievements of Linda Alvarado, the entrepreneur who founded Alvarado Construction, Inc., which now is a nationally-recognized construction firm with major projects across the Rocky Mountain region. These events have enabled a broad cross-section of women professionals to establish relationships and engage in important conversations about issues they commonly face.
As part of its community service initiative, Women Working Together has formed a partnership with the Rocky Mountain Children's Law Center, which, among other things, trains attorneys to provide pro bono representation for children who enter the child protection system or are exposed to domestic violence. Honored by the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges in 1998 as "one of the most effective and innovative programs for children in the nation," the RMCLC provides case referrals and ongoing technical support to the more than 20 DGS attorneys who volunteer their services to represent children in need.
The DGS Women Working Together program is patterned after Day, Berry & Howard’s (Hartford, Connecticut) program of the same name. Day, Berry & Howard has generously guided us in our development. If you would like more information about DGS Women Working Together, please contact Janet Savage, who chairs the program.