Leadership Academy for Women

The Leadership Academy for Women is an executive education course that prepares women law firm partners and in-house counsel to stride confidently to the highest levels of success in their firms and organizations, their communities and the legal profession.

 

July 22-24, 2025  |  San Francisco


Partner Program       Details   |   2025 Agenda   |   Register
In-House Program    Details

Who Should Attend?

The Leadership Academy is an executive education program for women law firm partners who are current or emerging leaders within their organizations. Women who attend are the rising stars of the legal profession, and the Leadership Academy gives them the tools and confidence they need to realize their leadership ambitions.

What topics are covered?

The Leadership Academy focuses on skill building and prepares participants to assume significant leadership roles and make contributions highly visible, valued and rewarded. Attending the Leadership Academy will teach you how to:

  • Make strategic decisions that will advance your career;
  • Build robust professional networks;
  • Leverage your strengths and create leadership opportunities;
  • Use the economic and political dynamics of your organization to your advantage;
  • Recognize and manage the impact of gender dynamics on your career;
  • Project confidence and credibility;
  • Deal effectively with conflict; and
  • Develop and project a leadership style that is authentic and effective.

Tesimonials

What do participants have to say?

“Career-changing…Nobody ever teaches these things!… [The Academy] freed me up… Our job is to ensure that female associates and partners at the firm are getting the same opportunities as male associates and partners, and that they know how to recognize and make the most of those opportunities.”
– Stacey Rappaport, executive committee member – Milbank

“One of the most eye opening and rewarding experiences of my life.”

“Best professional development activity I have ever participated in. It is life changing.”

“This was a great use of my limited time.  So glad I came.”

“I have always been skeptical and resistant to formalized networking and leadership training. The academy has changed my mind.”

“I came to the Leadership Academy at a time when I was feeling that I had made the wrong career move.  I left feeling confident, equipped and focused for the next phase of my career!”

“Attending [the Leadership Academy] has been my dream for several years. I’m so thrilled to have gotten the chance to join.”

“The leadership academy was an energizing and highly educational opportunity to connect with a group of incredible women lawyers from across the country. I’m so grateful for the experience.”

“The best conference/training I have ever attended.”

“The program was excellent – among the best I have attended. I enjoyed every session and walked away from each with tangible strategies to employ, which is rare.” 

“This was one of the most valuable seminars I’ve ever been to.”

Participating Organizations

The following organizations have participated in the Leadership Academy and/or are currently participating in Equality Action Center’s women’s leadership programs:

Participating Law Firms:
Andrews Kurth
Baker McKenzie
Bartlit Beck Herman Palenchar & Scott
Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck
Bull, Housser & Tupper
Burnham Brown
Carroll, Burdick & McDonough
Chapman and Cutler
Coblentz, Patch, Duffy & Bass
Crowell & Moring
Davis, Polk & Wardwell
Davis Wright Tremaine
Dentons
Dewey & LeBoeuf
DLA Piper
Epstein Becker & Green
Faegre & Benson
Faegre Baker Daniels
Farella Braun & Martel
Fenwick & West
Finnegan Henderson Farabow Garrett
Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher
Goodwin Procter
Gordon & Rees
Hanson Bridgett
Heninger Garrison Davis
Kilpatrick Townsend
Kirkland & Ellis
Klein, Denatale Goldner
Latham & Watkins
Littler Mendelson
The Liu Law Firm, P.C.
Lowenstein Sandler
Manatt, Phelps & Phillips
McCarter & English
Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy
Miller Brown & Dannis
Mintz Levin
Morrison & Foerster
Munger, Tolles & Olson
Murphy Pearson Bradley & Feeney
Ogletree Deakins
O’Melveny & Myers
Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe
Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler
Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison
Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman
Reed Smith
Richards Kibbe & Orbe
Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd
Rosen, Bien & Galvan
Schiff Hardin
Sedgwick, Detert, Moran & Arnold
Severson & Werson
Seyfarth Shaw
Shearman & Sterling
Shook, Hardy & Bacon
Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom
Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal
Steptoe & Johnson
Stradling Yocca Carlson Rauth
Squire, Sanders & Dempsey
Townsend and Townsend and Crew
Trucker Huss, APC
Weil Gotshal Manges
Wendel, Rosen, Black & Dean
Williams & Connolly
Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati
Winston & Strawn
Womble Carlyle Sandridge & Rice
Participating Companies:
23and Me
Activision Blizzard
Adobe Systems Inc.
AECOM
Albourne America
Allstate Insurance Co.
Altria Client Services Inc.
The American Institute of Architects
Apple Inc.
Argonne National Laboratory
AT&T
Autodesk
Banco Popular
Buchalter
Cadence Design Systems Inc.
Cerus Corporation
Chiquita Brands International
Clorox Company
Cloudera
Coupons.com Inc.
Cox Automotive
Cupertino Electric Inc.
DaVita
Del Monte Foods
Delicato Family Vineyards
Delta Dental
Dignity Health
Dropbox
eBay
Engie-GCN
Entertainment Partners
Exponential Talent
Facebook
Fdn. for CA Community Colleges
Gap Inc.
GCAssist
Gensler
GitHub
HP Inc.
Idaho National Laboratory
Imperva
Ingalls Shipbuilding
Intel Corporation
Intuit Inc.
Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
Logitech
Los Alamos National Laboratory
LVMH | Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton
McDonald’s Corporation
Merck
MetLife
McKesson Corporation
Metropolitan Transportation Commission
Microsoft
Midpen Regional Open Space District
Morpho Detection
NERA Economic Consulting
NovaBay Pharmaceuticals
Oculus VR
Oracle
Pacific Gas & Electric Co.
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
Pandora Media Co.
Pfizer Inc.
Planet Labs
PNC Financial Services Group
Prime Healthcare
Procter & Gamble
PubMatic
Qualcomm Incorporated
Recology
The Reutlinger Community
Salesforce
SF City Attorney’s Office
Samsung
San Francisco Giants
Santa Clara University
SAP Software Solutions
SGI
Semele
Silver Lake
Sodexo Inc.
Spectrum Equity
State Bar of California
StubHub
SVB Financial Group
Symphony Service Corp.
T-Mobile USA, Inc.
Tennant Company
Texas A&M University
TriNet
Twitter
Ultimate Software
United Airlines
UCSF Medical Center
University of California
University of California, Hastings College of the Law
University of California, San Diego
University of California, San Francisco
University of Pennsylvania
Upwork
VCE
Visa
Walmart
Warner Music Group
Wells Fargo
Williams-Sonoma
Workday
Zynga

Frequently Asked Questions

  • open all
  • close all

How will this program benefit my organization?

Women represent a vital talent pool for companies. Organizations benefit when women apply their talents as leaders, serve as mentors and role models crucial for attracting and retaining junior women in the organization, and provide the diversity that the marketplace increasingly demands. The Leadership Academy prepares participants to assume greater leadership responsibilities, increase their value to their organization, and leverage their abilities and talents more strategically for positive business results.

What's the program format?

The Leadership Academy curriculum follows a business school model that includes case studies, team problem-solving, interactive programming, and one-on-one exercises. The instruction is research-based, including an understanding of strategic and tactical thinking, practical applications and coaching.

How many people will attend the Leadership Academy?

We strictly limit the number of participants to approximately 25 partners to ensure a highly-interactive program with ample opportunities for one-on-one coaching and valuable network-building between participants. Participation is typically limited to 3 attorneys per firm, reach out to us to discuss availability if you’d like to send more.

What about hotels?

We are in the process of arranging nearby hotel blocks available at a discounted rate and will send details to registered participants as soon as they’re available. Rooms in these blocks will be very limited and we encourage participants to stay wherever they are most comfortable.

In the meantime, we’ve compiled a list of nearby and recommended hotels.

What about cancellations or participant substitutions?

Cancellation and Substitution Policy: All cancellation and participant substitution requests must be made in writing and may be sent via email to LAW@equalityactioncenter.org. Participant substitutions may be made at any time at the election of the organization.

  • Full refunds are available for all registrants if cancelled before June 1, 2024.
  • For cancellations between June 1 and July 1, 2024, 40% of the registration fee will be refunded. The remaining 60% of the fee can be applied toward the 2024 or 2025 Leadership Academy. Any unused credits will expire on June 15, 2025.
  • There are no refunds for cancellations after July 1, 2024. Registrants that cancel after July 1 will receive a credit for the amount paid for the cancelled participant and can use that credit toward the 2024 or 2025 Leadership Academy. Any unused credits will expire on June 15, 2025.
  • Participants who cancel and then use their 2024 credit to attend the 2025 program will be treated as 2024 registrants, and will not count as an organization’s “first participant” for purposes of 2025 registration. If an organization sends a 2024 cancelled registrant to the 2025 program and also registers a new participant for 2025, the new 2025 registrant must pay the “first participant” rate; any additional new registrants may pay the “additional participant” discounted rate (max 2). This applies to both member and non-member organizations.

How can my company become a sponsor?

Interested in supporting our mission, investing in women’s leadership and connecting with our audience of successful women from top firms and companies? Learn more about becoming a Leadership Academy sponsor here.

Share This