WOMEN IN THE LAW Women Lawyers Association of Michigan Who, How, Why By Elaine Fro•t 8c Karen Colby Weiner n March 24, 1919. 48 years after their brothers at the Bar that they tunlties. An officer of that group re­ 0 Sarah Killgore became the first were simply c;onstltutlonally Inca­ sponded that he knew of no openings in woman admitted to practice law in pable of good lawyering. They were general and "certainly none for Michigan, 1 five women attorneys met In al11o confronted by the equally tena­ women. the Detroit Federatio!ll Building and or­ cious beUef held by tnany women who were not professionals, that To better understand the social gani.zed the Women Lawyers Assocla" women lawyera were somehow and political climate with which these tion of Michigan (hereaft2r WLAM or peculiar for having opted for a life early members had to deal, it Is helpful the Association). Its stated pupc.se was role beyond that of wife and to recognize that most were licensed to ''to advance the interest of women 4 mother." practice law before the Nineteenth members of the legal profession and to By February, 1921, when WL.AM promote a fraternal spirit among Amendment to the United States Con­ had grown to 18 members. 5 Its first Many in lawyers." The charter members, stltutlon enfranchised women. President, Theresa Doland Cornelius, fact were active in securing that right. Theresa Doland Cornelius, Mabel G. recalled the underpinnings of the As­ Henrtetta Ro~nthal. Rlx. E. Maty sociation as "cooperation, [sharing) Among these was Phoebe Mun· Wetsman and Harrl~t A. Marsh, four of general information, social benefit and necke (Wl.AM President 1938-39), one whom were graduates of Michigan law of four suffragists arrested Janui:'lry 5. schools, recognized early in their ca­ preservation of " high standard of ethics. •o6 1919 for kindling a watch-fir'lln front of reers the need for solidarity in what was the White House. Munnecke served a and for close to h~lf a century, con· Among the early members only ten-day jail ~>entence, and later served tinued to be a predominantly male pro­ nine were engaged In the actual practice onother four-day sentence for applaud­ fesslon.2 of law. Since most legal positions were Ing the speech o( a suffragist In a Discussion at the first mee·ting em­ closed to women, they practiced In as· courtroom. sociation With brothers or husbands, phasi.zed the reality that women attor­ After the Nineteeneth Amendment neys were at a tremendous dlsadvan· and in one case with a male attorney who had previously employed the was ratified she swrt'ld a campaign for tage because they had no clearing the Equal Rights Amendment, a battle problems, woman attorney as a secretary. house for their as did their carried forth more recently by another male counterparts. Not only -was free An example of the employment di­ WLAM member, Martha Griffiths, pre­ and serious discussion not open to lemmas women faced In the early ~ndy Michigan Lieutenant Governor, them, but the attitudes of their sup· 1920s Is the personal experience of who in 1972 would continue the fight as posed male peen; ranged from conde· Regene Freund (Cohane). still a pracllc· 3 a member of the United States House scenslon to contempt. As noted re· lng attorney In Southfield. When she of Representatives. cently by Michigan Supreme Court Jus· wa5 gretduatin~ from Cornell law tice Patricia Boyle: School in 1920. Cohane contacted the WLAM received belated recogni­ 'These women . • . were confronted Detroit Bar Association requesting Infor­ tion from the SUite Bar of Michigan, with the ~ldelv held eorwlctlon of mation about employment oppor· • WOMENINTHELAW----------------------------------------------­ which carried news of "local bar associ­ From the earliest years of the As­ speakers wer4i! Judge Aorence Allen,9 ations" In Its. early records but did not sociation. in addition to monthly mem­ who !ipOk" both during hQr tQnuro on take such note of WlAM urttlll937. At bership meetings, four annual functions the Ohio Supreme Court and again the September, .1940 State Bar Con­ served a social purpose and provided after ascending to the United States vention, WlAM held its first breakfast an opportunity for WlAM to Increase Its Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit; meeting, a tradition which has con­ recognition In the legal and gt?neral Federal Judge Genevieve I. CUne of tinued through the past 44 years. community: New York: Judge Emma Falls Scofield of Boston; Agnes McPhaU, a Canadian The first monthly rneeUngs of the One WC)S a reception for women Member of Parliament and Ruth Bryan Association were held In the homes of law students. The' first ''student tea" was Owne, America's first woman diplomat. members on the first Tuesday of each held soon after the Association was These functions were followed by more month, September through June. While formed, in Spring, 1919, at the Federa­ court assignments for women lawyers. the group was small, the social contacts tion of Womens Clubs. Among the stu· more recognition by other group5 and a served to strengthen professional ties; dent guests In attendance were - members came to know each other, to growing realization that women lawyers Da~d~. Regt?ne Freund (Cohane), were here to stay. 10 share each other's biumphs as well as Ste a ramer, Marjorie Baumgart4i!n acquired kn()w)edge and experience. (Bacon) and Anne Hackett. The fourth special WI..AM annual Inexperienced! lawyers c-ould seek help funcdon was the summer outing. In the For many years the receptions con­ from Wl.AM members who recogniud early years was typically picnic at tinued as teas. In her June, 1956 An· this a that the need for know)edge was cus­ a member's house. In her Annual Re­ nual Report, however. President Esther tomary among novices, not attributable port, President Morden referenced the A. Morden noted that "certain facts can­ to incapacity Inherent among women. 1956 summer outing, commenting that not be ignored . including the fat:t the "membership . apparently takes a The monthly meeting format soon that students take a dim view of teas." dim view of picnics ... " Heeding her expanded to Include .speakers on topics Despite this observation. tradition pre· ranging from specific professional con­ vailed and the format remained un­ advice, the summer outing in August, 1957 was a ''Day at the Rillces" h~ld in cerns to those of general interest. Meet­ changed until the early 1970s. when the cooperation with the Michigan Racing ings generally were held in the Detroit teas were transformed into wine and Association, and was noted a great area, probably most at the Women's cheese tasting receptions. Student par­ as 8 success. But in 1961 the group returned City Club. By the 1930s and 1940s a ticipation Increased noticeably. small number of meelin~JS were held at to the picnic/tea party format which it locations outside the D.etroit area, In­ In addition to student receptions, followed through 1966, after which the cluding Grand Rapids (d1;ring State Bar early traditional WLAM events included social summer outing was abandoned. a winter holiday party. an annual ban­ Conventions). Windsor (at the Manor Educational activities have ex­ quet and a summer outing. Beginning House). and in Ann Arbor at the Michi­ panded since 1970. In addition to semi­ gan League. Examples of .speakers in­ in the mid-1920s, fn\R0¥1ds::wt and nars and workshops for Wl.AM mem· her husband invite W M members l clude a 1938 meeting in Detroit In bers, a prominent addition has been the · ......,0 and their guests into their home for a honor of Lydia Zamenhof, a law Women and the law Conference, held Christmas party. Such parties continue graduate of tlrte University of Warsaw, either bi-annually or annually since ~ to be held in homes of members today. c and 1939 meeting In Ann Arbor with a 1974, presenting speakers of national speaker who had recE:nt!y returned The third traditional event was the and local prominence on topics of cur­ ..c~ u from the war zone in China. During the WLAM Banquet, one of the most rent interest to women and women :E 1960s, Lansing was alsc• added as an elaborate of the annual functions. It was lawyers. The Conference draws attend· occasional meeting site. held nearly each year from 1919 ance from throughout the state. \.0 Outing World War II the Associa­ through 1969. State, county and local The focus of WLAM has always in­ \.0 tion worked on variouE; programs to officials, judges and other guests were cluded political efforts as weU as its so­ ~ support the war effort. Ely its October, invited. Entertainment featured skits cial and educational events. As early as 1943 meeting, the Association could re­ and songs by WlAM members and 1920, WL.AM's legislative committees ~ port that it had sold approximately remarks by various distinguished were active Individually and In conjunc­ ..... speakers.· "'w" $200,000 In bonds during the Soap tion with other women's organizations c Box Campaign of the Third War Loan At the June 9, 1953 Annlversaty In endorsing and lobbying for leg1slatlon ~ Drive. Dinner the entertainment included a relevant to women. In 1977, recogniz­ ing the importance of constitutionally Interesting programs, of course, re­ Henrietta Rosenthal skit entitled ''Court's in Session" or "Give the Lady assured equality, WlAM became a quired considerable effort. For Instance, member of ERAmerica. In June, 1947 Martha Griffiths was Your Seat. " Comella Groetsema (Ken­ WU\M's Protram Chair. Among the nedy), Helen Bryant and MUdred vtalch Currently, the Wl..AM Legislative professional tpplcs recommended for were part of a large ca~t.