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Strengthen the image of women attorneys in the community.

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Work toward the elimination of all forms of discrimination against women attorneys.

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Promote a forum for the exchange of knowledge and experiences of women attorneys.

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Increase, expand and improve job opportunities for women attorneys.

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Promote continuing legal education and professional growth.

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Promote active participation in Bar organizations.

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Encourage and assist the professional development of women attorneys.

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Encourage women to enter the legal profession and assist them during their legal education.

In 1976 a small group of women attorneys gathered in an empty courtroom to discuss ways to combine their strengths to improve opportunities for women attorneys and promote recognition of their capabilities.

With few exceptions, women attorneys were unique at that time, and men held the judicial positions as well as the majority of the prominent positions within Houston's leading law firms.

From its humble beginnings, AWA has emerged as a leading organization that has opened its doors to male and female judges, licensed attorneys from law firms, solo practices, corporations and government sectors, and laws students. "AWA is all about relationships, " said Cameron Vann, a former president, citing the group's annual reception for the judiciary as an example.

The judicial reception grew out of a dinner meeting in the 1980's where judges who thought they treated women attorneys "just fine" and members who had a completely different perception of the situation cleared the air. The reception has since become an annual event where AWA members and local judges are able to mingle in a social atmosphere.

The organization is determined to keep those lines of communication open by hosting events which offer interaction between attorneys and the judiciary. Not to be overlooked, however, is the AWA's sponsorship of a judicial screening committee to review qualifications of judicial candidates and to provide recommendations to its members and the community. Over the years, candidates have come to regard the AWA screening as one of the strongest in the state.

"At times members have wondered whether there was still a need for a woman's organization," Vann stated, "and that question has always been answered 'Yes!' Not only do AWA's memberships have a sense that we've made things better, but we provide a networking opportunity for solo practitioners as well as attorneys from law firms, corporations, and government entities."

Members have learned the value of being part of a group where they can compare "war stories" and come to find answers to questions. It provides an opportunity for litigators and corporate attorneys to develop friendships with lawyers who practice family, probate, criminal, and other types of law. The organization also affords a ready source of qualified attorneys to whom members can refer clients, friends, and family when there is a need for practitioners in other specialties.

AWA's monthly meetings include state bar CLE accredited presentations on various subjects of interest. These might include stress management for attorneys, grandparents' rights, same-sex marriages, lawyer advertising, law practice management, financial planning, immigration law, sex and clients, and the role of in-house counsel. Additionally, members serve as mentors for law students and recent graduates striving to find their way in the practice of law.

Having established itself as a viable, thriving organization, the AWA found yet another way to serve the legal community. In the 1990's, the AWA Foundation was initiated under the leadership of several remarkable AWA members. The Foundation is a nonprofit organization that provides scholarships to women law students at each of the area's three law schools.

It is funded through monies raised by ticket sales and donations, and an annual silent auction and gala. Women law students from the University of Houston Law Center, South Texas College of Law and Thurgood Marshall School of Law apply for the coveted scholarships each year. Each school's winner receives her check at a ceremony during the judicial reception.

"We've come from a handful of women in an empty courtroom to over 7,500 female attorneys in Harris County alone," Vann said. "We may not have all of them as members, but it's nice to know that we're able to help a few of those up and coming women that will take on the challenge of law."