The Bexar County Women's Bar Association ("BCWBA") was conceived in 1983 to unite women attorneys in Bexar County and to provide a local forum for dialogue and the exchange of ideas about women in the legal profession. The first organizational efforts were prompted by the desire to have a woman appointed to an open judicial seat in Bexar County and a goal of placing more women in leadership positions in the San Antonio Bar Association. Approximately seventy people attended the original informational social in 1983. The initial membership roster listed 74 women and 3 men.

Since 1984, BCWBA members have enjoyed a monthly newsletter, the Equal Times®. A BCWBA membership directory has been published annually since 1985. BCWBA hosts monthly luncheons, usually with MCLE speakers. The December luncheon each year is a holiday and end-of-the year celebration, at which the BCWBF distributes the proceeds of its award-winning Bench Brunch to charitable organizations and programs benefitting our community.

Today, there are more than 400 members of the BCWB, to include judges, attorneys, legal assistants, friends, honorary members and students. The rapid growth of the BCWB evidences the continued role for an organization to encourage women in the legal profession.

Since 1984, BCWBA members have enjoyed a monthly newsletter, the Equal Times®. A BCWBA membership directory has been published annually since 1985. BCWBA hosts monthly luncheons, usually with MCLE speakers. The December luncheon each year is a holiday and end-of-the year celebration, at which the BCWBF distributes the proceeds of its award-winning Bench Brunch to charitable organizations and programs benefitting our community.

In addition to its on-going activities, BCWBA has implemented several important projects over the years. For example, in 1984, a BCWBA committee designed a child-support formula which was accepted by the Bexar County District Judges. It became the model for the child-support formula eventually set by the Texas Supreme Court for the entire state of Texas. Also, in 1984, the BCWB began hosting its annual Bench Brunch to promote women in the judicial and legal fields and raise money for those most in need in our community.

In 1990, BCWBA welcomed the opening of the Teddy Bear Room in the Bexar County Justice Center, a special waiting room for children in the District Attorney's Office. BCWBA sponsored the project after Judge Susan Reed and then state Senator Cyndi Taylor Krier told the membership about a similar project in California. BCWBA also successfully lobbied in 1990 for amendments to the San Antonio Bar Association bylaws, allowing presidents of all the local minority bar associations to serve as non-voting members of the SABA board. Similar success was achieved in obtaining minority representation on the Texas Young Lawyers Association board.

Since 1993, BCWBA has hosted an annual Judicial Recognition Reception to honor our student mentees and our judicial advisory committee. 1993 also saw the birth of a coalition of women bar leaders across the state.

One of BCWBA's original goals was achieved in 1994 when five women were nominated for four director positions in the San Antonio Bar Association. 1994 also saw the BCWBA's records become part of the permanent archives of UTSA's Center for the Study of Women and Gender. BCWBA's success continued in 1995 when the State Bar presented BCWBA with the Stars of Texas Bars Award. Currently, BCWBA continues its contributions to the community by sponsoring the Elder Law Handbook, a day-long training program on representing battered immigrant women, the regular Wills Clinic, and the Working Parents' Summer Guide. The BCWBA has continued to win additional awards from the State Bar of Texas for its programs and publications.

The sustained success of BCWBA is attributed to its ability to remain non-partisan, while supporting the efforts of all its members to achieve leadership roles. BCWBA supports the efforts of all women to advance within the profession, and strives to recognize the achievements of its members in improving the status of women in the profession and in the community.

PAST PRESIDENTS OF THE BEXAR COUNTY WOMEN'S BAR ASSOCIATION

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