Center for Women in Law

What Center for Women in Law does

The Center for Women in Law is a national non-profit academic center founded in 2009 and housed within The University of Texas at Austin School of Law. Its mission is to serve as a national resource and champion for women lawyers, working to advance gender parity and retention across the legal profession. The organization operates a portfolio of programs spanning the full career arc of women in law: the annual Women's Power Summit on Law and Leadership, the year-long Accelerate Career Start program for first-year lawyers, the Ascend career-advancement program, the Ginsburg Initiative (honoring Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg's legacy), the Consortium for Advancing Women Lawyers, the Institute for Law and Leadership, the Hortense Ward Courageous Leader Award, and recurring speaker and panel series (Susan Blount Power Lunch, Coffee with the Court, Perspectives, Pathways, Ex Libris). It also administers scholarships and fellowships and publishes annual Impact Reports (FY 2021-2022 through FY 2024-2025).

The Center's business model is donations-based. Revenue is generated through a structured set of giving programs — Investing In The Center, the Ginsburg Circle, Power Circles, Friends of the Center, and Planned Giving — supporting free-to-participant programming. Programs are delivered through in-person events (primarily at UT Austin and partner venues), virtual plenary sessions and webinars, and digital channels including social media (Facebook, X, YouTube, Instagram, LinkedIn), email newsletters, and the Center's website. The organization operates with a lean team of 7 employees and is governed under its parent institution, UT Austin School of Law. Under the leadership of Executive Director Jennifer Banda, appointed November 11, 2024, and a new Strategic Plan announced March 2024, the Center continues to convene chief legal officers, law partners, judges, government officials, and law students through national programming.

Name

Center for Women in Law

Legal name

Center for Women in Law

Website

https://centerforwomeninlaw.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Center for Women in Law is a non-profit academic center housed at the University of Texas at Austin School of Law that advances women in the legal profession through summits, career programs, scholarships, and the Hortense Ward Courageous Leader Award.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Legal Professional Development and Women's Leadership Programs

NAICS

Human Rights Organizations (813311), Professional Organizations (813920)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAGAFAD

Gender Equality & Women’s Rights Advocacy

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Civil Rights, Advocacy & Public Policy Organizations

SECONDARYEDAHAIAJ

Law School Research Centers & Institutes (e.g., Law & Economics, Human Rights)

Education/Higher Education (Colleges & Universities)/Law Schools

Keywords

• Women lawyers programs
• Legal leadership development
• Professional advancement women
• Legal profession advocacy
• Career acceleration programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Austin

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Giving Programs: The organization generates revenue through donations and giving programs including Investing In The Center, Ginsburg Circle, Power Circles, Friends of the Center, and Planned Giving. These are charitable contributions supporting the organization's mission to advance women in the legal profession.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The Center for Women in Law is a national non-profit academic center at The University of Texas at Austin School of Law that delivers professional development, leadership, and advocacy programming for women lawyers across all career stages. Its core offerings include the annual Women's Power Summit on Law and Leadership, the year-long Accelerate Career Start program for first-year lawyers, the Consortium for Advancing Women Lawyers, the Ginsburg Initiative, the Institute for Law and Leadership, Ascend, and the Hortense Ward Courageous Leader Award, supported by scholarships, fellowships, and annual Impact Reports.

Product overview

The Center for Women in Law is a national resource and champion for women lawyers at the University of Texas at Austin. It operates a portfolio of programs spanning career development, leadership summits, awards, and educational initiatives. The core offerings include the annual Women's Power Summit on Law and Leadership, the Accelerate Career Start year-long program for first-year lawyers, the Consortium for Advancing Women Lawyers, and the Institute for Law and Leadership. Additional programs include the Ginsburg Initiative, Ascend, Perspectives Series, Pathways Series, Susan Blount Power Lunch Series, Coffee with the Court panels, and Ex Libris Series. The Center also administers the Hortense Ward Courageous Leader Award and offers scholarships and fellowships. Impact Reports document annual outcomes. The organization serves law students through experienced practitioners.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Women's Power Summit on Law and Leadership Annual summit convening influential legal leaders — chief legal officers, law partners, judges, government officials, higher education leaders, and business leaders — to generate ideas, lead change, network, and build community for women in the legal profession.
• Accelerate Career Start Year-long program for first-year lawyers focused on retention and strengthening the pipeline to partnership and leadership, delivered through virtual plenary sessions on best practices, wellness, firm economics, and networking.
• Ascend Program dedicated to advancing women lawyers in their careers through targeted programming and resources.
• Ginsburg Initiative Program dedicated to fighting for gender equality in the legal profession, honoring Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg's legacy.
• Consortium for Advancing Women Lawyers Collaborative consortium bringing together women's legal organizations for networking and business meetings, held in conjunction with NAWL Annual Meetings.
• Institute for Law and Leadership Multi-day institute hosted with partner organizations featuring sessions on law and leadership topics for students.
• Hortense Ward Courageous Leader Award Annual award recognizing leadership and commitment to gender parity in the legal profession, presented at the Center's Award Luncheon.
• Chief Justice Marilyn Aboussie Coffee with the Court Panel discussion series featuring esteemed judges sharing career journeys and advice for law students.
• Susan Blount Power Lunch Series Conversational series featuring influential leaders in discussion with the Center's Director.
• Perspectives Series Series exploring perspectives on leadership and careers in the legal profession.
• Pathways Series Series exploring career pathways in the legal profession.
• Ex Libris Series Program series organized by the Center for Women in Law.
• Scholarships & Internships Financial support programs including fellowships and scholarships for law students.

Quantifiable outcome

• Multiple impact reports published (2021-2022, 2022-2023, 2023-2024, 2024-2025) documenting organizational impact

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Women's Law CaucusminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Center partnered with the Women's Law Caucus at UT Austin for the Institute for Law and Leadership event held in February 2026. This collaboration involved co-hosting a multi-day program for Texas Law students featuring panels, networking, and professional development sessions.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• National Women's Law Center: Major national women's rights advocacy organization with a broader social-policy focus than the legal profession, but shares the gender-equality advocacy mission and donor constituency.
• Catalyst: Global non-profit advancing women in business and leadership, including research on women leaders; broader than legal profession but operates a similar convening, research, and advocacy model.

Direct peers

• Ms. JD: Non-profit focused on the career advancement of women in law, with particular emphasis on law students and early-career lawyers; overlaps with the Center's Accelerate Career Start and student-facing programs.
• American Bar Association Commission on Women in the Profession: ABA body focused on advancing women in the legal profession through research, programs, and policy; addresses the same pipeline, retention, and leadership challenges as the Center for Women in Law.
• National Bar Association Women Lawyers Division: Division of the National Bar Association serving women lawyers, particularly women of color; shares programmatic emphasis on career advancement, leadership, and pipeline development for women in law.
• National Association of Women Lawyers: National membership organization dedicated to advancing women in the legal profession; partners with the Center on the Consortium for Advancing Women Lawyers and shares the same women-in-law mission and audience.

Emerging players

• International Women in Law Forum: Industry-focused initiative recognizing leading women in law; shares the gender-parity-in-law mission but operates primarily through recognition and networking rather than education programs.

Regional players

• Women's Bar Association of the District of Columbia: Regional bar association focused on women lawyers with comparable programs (mentorship, networking, advocacy); differs in geographic scope but similar in target audience and mission.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/CWILNews
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCWlTdIWONJCZVzY7LKdMpXQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/centerforwomeninlaw
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/centerforwomeninlaw
• Instagraminstagram.com/centerforwomeninlaw

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Center for Women in Law