2007 First Annual Banquet

In 2007 MAMA Seattle (at that time, known as MAMAS) held its First Annual Banquet on October 29, 2007, at the Women’s University Club in Seattle to celebrate its first year and the incredible success of the new Mother Attorneys Mentoring Association (MAMA Seattle). The vision of MAMA Seattle started small, as “an organization where, just once a month, a bunch of women would meet at a venue where their children could play and the women could socialize, network, problem-solve, and learn from each other and find mentors.” (Rachel Black, MAMA Seattle Co-Founder.) Yet, as word spread during 2006 and into 2007, MAMA Seattle quickly grew from a small group of mother attorneys to over 300 members, and the simple monthly gatherings started to turn into monthly lunch seminars, a variety of networking opportunities with kids, and an actively evolving online and real-time community of MAMA Seattle members. MAMA Seattle started to expand its reach, as its goal to “build a network so that you don’t feel along in this endeavor” (Lori Lynn Phillips, Founding Board Member) is inspiring to mother attorneys in Seattle and continues to attract new members to MAMA Seattle each month.

MAMA Seattle’s First Annual Banquet was extremely well received, with over a hundred people in attendance, including prominent members of the bench, bar, and press. MAMA Seattle was thrilled to mark the first anniversary of its founding with a banquet and panel discussion on the role of diversity in the bar. MAMA Seattle was honored to have an outstanding group of panelists from the federal and state judiciary, including:

• Judge Mary Kay Becker, Washington Court of Appeals, Division I;
• Magistrate Judge James P. Donohue, United States District Court for the Western District of Washington
• Justice Mary E. Fairhurst, Washington State Supreme Court
• Senior Circuit Judge Betty B. Fletcher, United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
• Judge Richardo S. Martinez, United States District Court for the Western District of Washington
• Judge Marsha J. Pechman, United States District Court for the Western District of Washington
• Acting Chief Judge Ann Schindler, Washington Court of Appeals, Division I

The panelists were engaging, entertaining, and insightful, speaking on issues ranging from dealing with potential bias on juries to practical advice for attorneys considering having children. The MAMA Seattle First Annual Banquet was even featured in a story in Washington Law & Politics.