19th Annual Margaret Brent Women Lawyers of Achievement Awards Luncheon
The Margaret Brent Women Lawyers of Achievement Award, established by the ABA Commission on Women in the Profession in 1991, recognizes and celebrates the accomplishments of women lawyers who have excelled in their field and have paved the way to success for other women lawyers.
Call for Nominations for the 2010 Margaret Brent Awards -
Deadline for Nominations - Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Nominations are now closed
The 2010 awards will be presented at the luncheon held at the Moscone Center on Sunday, August 8, 2010 during the ABA Annual Meeting in San Francisco, CA.
Previous Award Recipients
Honorees receiving the Margaret Brent Award have achieved professional excellence in their field and
- influenced other woman to pursue legal careers,
- opened doors for women lawyers in a variety of job settings that historically were closed to them, and/or
- advanced opportunities for women within a practice area or segment of the profession.
View the list of distinguished award recipientsWho Is Margaret Brent?
Margaret Brent was the first woman lawyer in America, arriving in the colonies in 1638. She was a master negotiator, an accomplished litigator, and a respected leader. Brent was involved in 124 court cases over eight years and won every one. In 1648, she formally demanded a "vote and voice" in the Maryland Assembly, which the governor denied. Over 250 years later, Harper's magazine noted: " By this action, Margaret Brent undoubtedly placed herself as the first woman in America to make a stand for the rights of her sex."
2009 Honorees
2009 Commemorative Program and Tribute Book (PDF)
- Linda L. Addison (PDF), Partner, Fulbright & Jaworski L.L.P. and co-founder of the Center for Women in Law at the University of Texas; in Houston, TX and New York, NY
- Helaine M. Barnett (PDF), President, Legal Services Corporation and the first legal aid attorney to serve as president of the Legal Services Corporation; in Washington, DC
- Hon. Arnette R. Hubbard (PDF), Judge, Circuit Court of Cook County, IL and champion of human rights through the exercise of the right to vote; in Chicago, IL
- Hon. Vanessa Ruiz (PDF), Judge, District of Columbia Court of Appeals and the first Hispanic judge to serve on D.C.'s highest court; in Washington, DC
- Loretta A. Tuell (PDF), Partner, AndersonTuell, LLP, lawyer and legislative advocate on behalf of Indian tribes; in Washington, DC
2007 Margaret Brent Awardees Town Hall Meeting
Listen to the Town Hall Meeting in Its Entirety
On February 9, 2007, during the ABA Midyear Meeting, the Commission convened a distinguished panel of Margaret Brent honorees to discuss Are We There Yet? The Unfinished Journey of Women in the Legal Profession.
Over 100 attendees interacted with this select group of Brent Award-winning trailblazers in a town hall meeting as they discussed issues raised by the Commission on Women’s newly-released Charting Our Progress report (including the generational divide and obstacles/opportunities facing women lawyers) and the special challenges confronting women lawyers of color, as evidenced in the Commission on Women’s study Visible Invisibility: Women of Color in Law Firms.
Panelists included:
- Honorable Rosemary Barkett, U.S. Circuit Judge, Eleventh Circuit United States Court of Appeals
- Carol E. Dinkins, Partner, Vinson & Elkins LLP; Former U.S. Deputy Attorney General
- Elaine R. Jones, Director-Counsel Emeritus of NAACP Legal Defense Fund
- Janet Reno, Former Attorney General of the United States
- Moderator: Jami Floyd, Anchor, Court TV
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