'Women Expanding Business' Hosted Event

Contact: Kate Ruppar FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Marketing Communications Specialist 860.240.6156 [email protected]

Murtha Cullina’s ‘ Women Expanding Business’ Hosted Event

Hartford, CT (April 4, 2013) – On Monday, April 1 st , Murtha Cullina’s women’s initiative ‘Women Expanding Business ’ (WEB) hosted an event that brought together nearly 100 of the state’s professional women for an evening of networking and fun.

The event, part of WEB’s mission and commitment to promote the professional growth of women at Murtha Cullina and within the community, was held at the Union League Café in New Haven and featured an evening of networking, wine tasting, laughter and guest speaker Gina Barreca.

Diane Bellantoni, Murtha Cullina attorney and Chair of WEB, noted, “WEB is an initiative that promotes Murtha Cullina’s commitment to diversity and commitment to the professional development of both our women attorneys and clients. Not only does this initiative work to bring women together, but it also fosters conversations and actions that support women in the business world.”

Featured guest speaker, Gina Barreca, is a renowned women’s humorist, writer, speaker and professor of Feminist Theory at the University of Connecticut. She writes monthly for publications such as the Hartford Courant, Huffington Post, and Psychology Today, and is author of It's Not That I'm Bitter: How I Learned to Stop Worrying About Visible Panty Lines and Conquered the World . During the WEB event, Ms. Barreca shared insights and humorous stories about her personal and professional life. She commented on many of the social issues and perceptions women cope with and offered her thoughts on dealing with those issues in today’s world.

“Gina truly made this event such a unique and wonderful experience,” said Ms. Bellantoni. “She brought humor and insight together to touch upon women’s history, women’s behaviors, aging, family, happiness and more. Her ability to bring levity to so many issues genuinely engaged and brought together all 100 women in the room and was a great example of the why initiatives such as WEB are so valuable.”

WEB will be hosting its next networking event later this spring in Boston.

Photo caption: Murtha Cullina’s women’s initiative ‘Women Expanding Business’ hosted a networking event on Monday, April 1 st featuring guest speaker Gina Barreca (center).

About Murtha Cullina LLP With more than 115 attorneys in six offices throughout Connecticut and Massachusetts, Murtha Cullina LLP offers a full range of legal services to meet the local, regional and national needs of our clients. Our practice encompasses litigation, regulatory and transactional representation of businesses, governmental units, non-profit organizations and individuals. Core practice areas include litigation, labor and employment, bankruptcy and creditors’ rights, construction, energy, health care, trusts and estates, affordable housing, real estate, land use and retail and hospitality.

Murtha Cullina is the exclusive member firm in Connecticut for Lex Mundi – the world’s leading network of independent law firms with in-depth experience in 100+ countries worldwide; and the exclusive Connecticut member firm of State Law Resources, an international network of independent law firms. Visit www.murthalaw.com .

###

3365230v1