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FDCC News
I knew we were on to something in 2014, two years after the “Ladder Down” program launched its grass-roots effort in Phoenix, Arizona. I was attending a general counsel panel at a women’s leadership symposium in Chicago and one of the panelists started talking about a new program she heard about called “Ladder Down”. Others chimed in, telling stories about the successes they heard emerging from this unique new program. Several had questions, “How can I get involved?” “Is it
only in Phoenix?” and “Who is in charge?”
I raised my hand.
Beth Fitch and I knew the goal when we started Ladder Down
in the fall of 2012: change the practice of law for women lawyers everywhere. Not just in Phoenix,
or Seattle, or Cleveland. Not just defense lawyers. Not just women who had already hit their stride. Any woman lawyer who was ready to take control over her professional success.
Ten years later, our goal will be actualized at the 2022 FDCC Winter Meeting.
COVID catapulted our embrace of technology at light speed. Where reluctance and comfort previously resided, creativity and adaptability moved in. In the middle of three active Ladder Down classes, while
trying to run our own businesses and otherwise survive in a chaotic world, Beth and I had to decide whether to push pause or the
gas pedal. You can imagine what choice came naturally to two #mompreneurs.
Thanks to volunteer efforts from tech savvy relatives, determination of our incredible faculty, and unwavering commitment from
our participants, Ladder Down went virtual. It has been said
that the switch to remote work leveled the playing field for diverse lawyers (even if only temporarily). Everyone, regardless of his or her title, became a box on a screen occupying the same amount of space. There was no “seat at the table”. Instead, there was increased vulnerability. There was heightened awareness of our roles in this
world as something other than a unit of production. There was an acknowledgment that when and where we worked did not matter
as much as we once thought. Our Ladder Down participants relished the chance to bring their whole
and authentic selves to class. Attendance improved, participation increased, and relationships still developed. No longer encumbered by a physical location, Beth and I knew it was time to make our dream a reality.
In March 2022, an entirely virtual nationwide Ladder Down program
will start. This program will include presentations from FDCC firm leaders, rainmakers, and corporate counsel. It will feature federal court judges from across the country, and volunteer graduates paying it forward. It will be open
to any women lawyer regardless of practice area, firm, or experience level. And it will still have the amazing founding faculty who have delivered results from the last ten years: Marianne Trost and Lynn Moran.
As the practice of law continues to change, FDCC Ladder Down will be leading the way – demonstrating that success is not static, a national network is invaluable, and women lawyers working together can accomplish big things. This fall, we will start accepting applications
for the first national Ladder Down program. The 2022 class will remain capped at 24 participants and sponsorship opportunities are available on a first come, first serve basis. For more information, reach out to me directly at alison.r.christian@gmail.com.
Alison R. Christian is Corporate Litigation Counsel at Liberty Mutual Insurance Company, and a Director of the FDCC’s Board of Directors. Contact her at: alison.r.christian@gmail.com.
FDCC Defense Counsel Member Elizabeth S. Fitch is a member of Righi Law Group in Phoenix, Arizona. Beth can be contacted at beth@righilaw.com
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