New book offers lessons for women lawyers FROM women lawyers
An advocate for women lawyers, Nora Riva Bergman, an Atticus Certified Practice Advisor and Attorney, continues her 50 Lessons for Lawyers series with a new book, 50 Lessons for Women Lawyers — From Women Lawyers. The book contains lessons and stories for women at every stage of their law careers.
“As women lawyers, there is so much we can learn from each other,” Bergman says. “I think that we are at an inflection point in the legal profession. We are at a place where women can have a tremendously positive influence on the practice and business of law. If a woman reads a lesson in this book and thinks to herself, ‘That’s me,’ or, ‘If she can do that, so can I,’ that would be awesome.”
Atticus Clients Contributed
The book — which includes stories from 11 current and past Atticus clients — is filled with practical advice for women attorneys, covering topics such as carving your own path to leadership, and wellness and self-care. Bergman’s book is centered around the idea that women, especially successful women, should lift up other women.
The diverse group of contributors includes women in private and public practice, current and former national, state and local bar association presidents, judges, law school deans, entrepreneurs, and other published authors. Readers can go from the beginning to the end or skip around to find the lessons most relevant to them, regardless of where they are in their careers or lives.
“When I made the career switch from practicing attorney to serving as the executive director of a bar association, that’s when I realized that I could start to take some of what I had learned and practiced in my life and use it to help other lawyers improve their practices and their lives,” Bergman says. “Whether you call it mentoring or coaching, for me it’s all about helping others — lifting them up and helping them achieve what they want to achieve.”
About the Author
A licensed attorney since 1992, Bergman joined Atticus in 2006. She has practiced as an employment law attorney and certified mediator and served as an adjunct professor at Stetson University College of Law and the University of South Florida. Bergman has been a speaker at national and state bar conferences and other legal organizations. She served for eight years as the executive director of a voluntary bar association with more than 1,200 members.
“I tell my clients all the time that you cannot jump to the top of Mount Everest,” Bergman says. “You must take it one step at a time. But if you keep taking those steps, you’ll get there. That’s the way it was with this book.”
Bergman also is the author of 50 Lessons for Lawyers: Earn More, Stress Less, Be Awesome. A review of that book by the Florida Bar Journal can be found here.
