PFAWL President ’ s Message
SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2023
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PFAWL is thrilled to kick off the 2023-2024 year . We installed our new officers and directors on June 28 , 2023 , at the Community Foundation Tampa Bay room with the Honorable Diane Croff performing our swearing in ceremony . Each year , the president sets a theme to help guide the efforts of the board and the community . This year ’ s theme is “ WOMEN BELONG IN ALL PLACES WHERE DECISIONS ARE BEING MADE .” This is not only a catchy RBG quote . It is our core driving philosophy . Time over time , the statistics show that peace , security , equity , access to justice , corporate profitability and healthy economic growth are more efficient and successful when women are involved in decision-making processes .
Law firms and corporations are more profitable and more socially responsible when women are at the helm . According to S & P Global , firms with female CEOs and CFOs have produced superior stock price performance , compared to the market average . In the 24 months post-appointment ,
See things differently .
LLW is a statewide law firm with 33 attorneys and over 25 years of experience practicing in the areas of environmental , land use , local government , real estate , litigation , legislative and governmental affairs . LLW has the experience to navigate complex local , state , and federal laws and regulations . For more detailed information on our qualifications , visit our website at www . LLW-LAW . com
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JACKSONVILLE | ST . PETERSBURG | TALLAHASSEE TAMPA | WEST PALM BEACH
For more information , contact Kevin Hennessy 727.245.0820 • khennessy @ llw-law . com 100 Second Avenue South , Suite 501-S , St . Petersburg , Florida 33701
By Rebecca Deming
female CEOs saw a 20 percent increase in stock price momentum and female CFOs saw a six percent increase in profitability and eight percent larger stock returns . These results are economically and statistically significant . However , according to Fortune magazine , women head up fewer than five percent of fortune 500 companies globally .
A 2017 McKinsey study showed that while law firms are taking important steps to increase gender equality by providing senior-leadership support to advance attorneys ’ careers and offering programs that provide flexibility and address major work – life balance issues , these efforts have had limited success . Only 19 percent of equity partners are women , and women are 29 percent less likely to reach the first level of partnership than men . We may have made some progress in the past six years , likely fueled by the changes to the workplace that COVID initiated . But there is still a long way to go in getting women at ALL tables where decisions are being made .
Earlier this month , the 2023-2024 PFAWL Board met , and accepted the challenge of increasing our membership significantly to expand the reach of our incredibly supportive and empowering community . All programming this year will center around creating learning and networking opportunities that will provide tools for our members and other women in the community to advance in their careers , have their voices heard in government , and claim our seats at ALL tables where decisions are being made .
We are thrilled to announce the opening of two lactation rooms at the PCCJC with a ribbon cutting ceremony in the coming weeks . September is our annual membership drive . In the months of October and November we will have a CLE series on Legislative Advocacy Training as well as our annual Shrimp Boil . Follow us on social media or contact us at pfawlsocialdirector @ gmail . com to keep an eye out for dates and details . I look forward to seeing you at our upcoming events !
As an accredited attorney with the Veterans Benefits Administration , Mrs . Deming spent two years at Tucker Law Group , where she managed hundreds of Veteran Disability Compensation appeals , before leaving to start her own firm , ProVet Legal , P . A .. Mrs . Deming founded ProVet Legal , P . A . to provide top-notch customer service to veterans and their families seeking disability and survivor benefits from the VA .