Our recruiters, Susan Rubinovitz and Stephanie Ristvey attended the Women in the Profession Honorary Luncheon Program hosted by the Legal Intellegencer to honor Pennsylvania's women attorneys and judges udged to be "Women of Distinction." This event was held at The Union League in Philadelphi on June 15, 2010.  The room was silent during a compelling keynote speech given by Judge Anita Brody, Judge of the U.S. District Court of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.

The Intelligencer worked for one year going over archives of articles to choose from many deserving women in the law the women whom they felt that the most worthwhile accomplishments of the year.  This year's Women of Distinction are Cynthia Baldwin of Pennsylvania State University, Marissa Bluestine of the Pennsylvania Innocence Project, Maria Gonzalez Calvet of Morgan Lewis & Bockius, Diane Elderkin of Akin Gump, Risa Vetri Ferman of teh Montgomery County District Attorney's Office, Kathleen Gingrich of Daley Zucker Meilton Miner & Gingrich, Sarah Hart of the Philadelphia District Attorney's Office, Maureen Hogel of Duquesne Light Co., Marsha Levick of the Juvenile Justice Center, Roberta Liebenberg of Find Kaplan & Black, Jodi Lobel of the Philadelphia District Attorney's Office, Sara Manzano-Diaz of the Women's Bureau of U.S. Dept. of Labor, Justice Joan Orie Melvin of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, Judge Sandra Mazer Moss of the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas, Helen Pudlin of PNC Financial Services Group, Judge Anette Rizzo of  the Philadelphia of Common Pleas, Lourdes Rosado of the Junenile Law Center, Gina Rubel of Furia Rubel Communications, President Judge Susan Devlin Scott of the Bucks County Court of Common Pleas, Deborah Willig of Willig Williams & Davidson and Kay Kyungsun Yu of the Tucker Law Group.

It was an honor for the two of us to be in the same room with all of these spectacular women in the positions as well as their colleagues and friends who came out to support them.

The keynote speech for this wonderful event was given by Judge Anita Brody of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.  Judge Brody talked about how difficult it was in the mid 1950's being just one of seven women in her law school class at Columbia Law School.  She also talked about staying home to take care of her children until the youngest was in preschool and how important it is to put family first.

There was a knowing look from almost every woman in the audience when Judge Brody said that she had a much easier time than women attorneys at home, as women attorneys are now expected to leave their babies and go right back to work, and many firms hold it against them if they take off a few years to take care of the young children.  She also pointed out that many women attorneys these days cannot financially afford to stay home with their children as she was lucky enough to do.  Judge Brody encouraged the women in the office to find a good work life balance and to find what makes them happy in life and do it.  She was given a standing ovation by the entire mesmerized audience.