On December 5, 2012, Pryor Cashman’s Women’s Leadership Initiative (WLI) hosted its inaugural networking event - "Ladies Poker Night." The event was attended by the firm’s women attorneys and their female clients. The Law360 article “Female Attorneys Turn to Poker to Help Stack Client Deck” covered the event and also discussed the firm’s efforts to bolster its women attorneys and provide a more tailored way for them to interact with clients.

The night was a great success and the WLI reported getting excellent feedback from all who were invited to the event. Dyan Finguerra-DuCharme, partner in Pryor Cashman’s Intellectual Property Group, confirmed with Law360 that "two of my clients who had to cancel at the last minute were incredibly disappointed, they were hopeful we would do it again next year.”

In addition to learning the Texas Hold ‘Em style of poker, attendees walked away with business development pointers useful in operating the corporate field. As Colleen Caden, partner in Pryor Cashman’s Immigration Group and member of the WLI steering committee, told the publication: “Business development is hard for anyone, man or woman, but... women network differently than men do, so to have events geared more toward women's interests makes it easier for women to get to know one another.”

Partner Alice Stock, a member of the firm’s Immigration and Labor and Employment groups, said that events like Ladies Poker Night provide attorneys with a fun, relaxed atmosphere in which to interact face-to-face with clients they often only hear from over the phone or via email. “When I started, no one was doing any teaching at the associate level on how to market [oneself] or encouraging [young attorneys] to really learn how to deal with clients, to speak to clients and potential clients, and yet that is so much part of the practice now,” she told Law360.

Pryor Cashman’s Women’s Leadership Initiative is dedicated to the strategic retention and advancement of women attorneys in the firm. The Initiative provides a platform for women attorneys at all phases of their careers to engage in professional training, mentoring, business development and philanthropy. Pryor Cashman and WLI are committed to creating a culture that inspires women attorneys to develop as leaders, both in their profession and the world at large.

To read the Law360 article in its entirety please click here.