Condon & Forsyth’s Women’s Initiative

The firm’s Women’s Initiative is a program designed to support the advancement of the women of our firm and enhance the professional development of women in the aviation industry. It is the result of the firm’s long-standing commitment to its talented women attorneys who have won awards, written highly regarded books and articles, routinely appear on “Best of” lists, and frequently speak on topics of importance to the aviation litigation.

The firm’s women handle a wide variety of complex legal matters that range from litigation and alternative dispute resolution, insurance and reinsurance, labor and employment, and cyber risk and unmanned aerial systems, providing our clients with exceptional advice, support, and legal representation. They enjoy the respect of, and benefit from productive and collaborative relationships with, our peers – both in and outside the firm. The Women’s Initiative was created as part of our continued commitment to provide support, mentoring and sponsorship for our women attorneys and women in aviation generally.

The goals of the Women’s Initiative are to:

• Enhance the professional development of our women attorneys by encouraging them to discuss their professional goals, share ideas and experiences, and support each other’s professional growth; and
• Involve women in aviation from outside the firm and create an ongoing forum for networking, professional development, and relationship building with clients, women at all levels in the legal profession and leaders in the industry.

Supporting Women in Aviation and the Law

As a leader in advancing the role of professional women, we are proud of the leadership positions the women of our firm hold in aviation and legal organizations:

Many of our women attorneys are members of the New York Women’s Bar Association (NYWBA), and our Partner Kathy Posner has been actively involved in the NYWBA’s Foundation, as a member of the Board and is a past President. The goals of the Foundation are to eliminate gender bias from the legal system and profession and to promote the equality, safety and well-being of women and children.

As part of its continuing effort to foster the careers of women in the legal profession, the firm also is a founding member of the New York Chapter of the Coalition of Women’s Initiatives in Law, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to enhance the recruitment, retention and promotion of women lawyers and women’s initiatives in law firms, companies and government.

The International Aviation Women’s Association (IAWA), founded in 1988, is the leading organization dedicated to bringing outstanding women from every corner of the aviation world together. Its mission is to “provide meaningful and impactful opportunities for the next generation of women leaders” — and since its inception, our women attorneys have played key roles in IAWA’s growth:

• Partner Kathy Posner was a charter member of the group as well as a past President. She has served on IAWA’s Advisory Board, was chosen as the inaugural recipient of IAWA’s annual Woman of Excellence award, and is currently an Honorary Board member.
• Partner Diana Gurfel Shapiro has served on the IAWA Board of Directors since 2009, in roles focused on leveraging new media and communication channels to help women in the aviation industry connect, exchange ideas and hone their leadership skills.

Events

Our Women’s Initiative offers internal and external programs that include luncheon discussions, in-house educational programs (some for CLE credit), and client events. And as opportunities for women in aviation continue to grow, our programming will evolve to support the changing needs of women in the aviation industry.

External events have included:

• “Just Ask: Simple Steps to Being a Brilliant Negotiator.” This Women’s Initiative-hosted event was led by Natalie Reynolds, Founder and Managing Director of advantageSPRING, and provided hands-on tips for negotiating success at work.
• Our Women’s Initiative teamed with The Coalition of Women’s Initiatives in Law to host a Speed Networking Event. Attendees polished their elevator pitches, practiced pitching themselves and met new colleagues.
• “Negotiation: Is It A Man’s Game?” — A lively discussion of gender dynamics in business negotiations.
• Our Women’s Initiative hosted an IAWA Connect event honoring IAWA’s Vaughn College of Aeronautics and Technology Scholarship Recipient and an IAWA Wine and Cheese Reception for area IAWA members.
• Condon & Forsyth invited friends of the firm to a Women’s Networking Poker Night on June 15, 2017.  The women learned about negotiating, risk taking, being assertive, and of course, having fun playing poker.