Association of Women Lawyers of the Eastern District of Texas Set to Debut
The new Association of Women Lawyers of the Eastern District of Texas (WLED) was established with the first general order of 2017 issued by Eastern District Chief Judge Ron Clark in recognition of “the large number of outstanding female lawyers who practice in the Eastern District and the contribution they have made and continue to make to the district.”
WLED, an affiliate of the Eastern District of Texas Bar Association, will provide mentoring and networking opportunities for women lawyers practicing in the Eastern District.
Judge Clark appointed Elizabeth “Beth” Forrest from the Plano, Texas, office of Siebman, Burg, Phillips & Smith, LLP, as Chairperson for the WLED Organizational Committee. Amanda Abraham of The Roth Law Firm in Marshall, Texas, has been named Secretary/Treasurer, and Evelyn Chen, in-house counsel at Ericsson in Plano, has been named Vice Chairperson.
Eastern District Judge Marcia Crone of Beaumont, Texas; Eastern District Chief Bankruptcy Judge Brenda Rhoades of Plano; and Eastern District Magistrate Judges Caroline Craven of Texarkana, Texas; Nicole Mitchell of Tyler, Texas; Christine Nowak of Sherman, Texas; and Kimberly Priest Johnson of Plano will serve as the inaugural judicial liaisons to WLED.
“WLED’s goal is to provide a continuing forum where the many experienced women attorneys and judges in the Eastern District can provide advice and moral support to all our members, especially younger trial attorneys,” says Ms. Forrest. “Their insights and our shared experiences will help us develop our careers and assume the mantle of lead trial counsel in an increasingly competitive legal market.”
Membership in WLED is open to anyone who is committed to the group’s ethics and goals and who works toward the success of women trial attorneys, including fostering a deep bench of talented women lawyers as lead counsel in the Eastern District of Texas.
For more information on WLED and to learn how to become a member, contact Ms. Forrest at elizabethforrest@siebman.com.
