Diversity Consulting and Coaching for Women

My diversity and inclusion coaching programs address relationship-building strategies, self-promotion within the law firm and leadership, executive presence, and “trusted advisor” practices.

Based on the disappointing results of a decade of diversity efforts, I advocate intensive training in business and financial skills and business generation, particularly for associates who may otherwise advance to junior partnership ill-equipped to manage critical client relationships or originate firm revenue.

I also recommend supplementing formal mentoring with institutionalized sponsorship programs designed to help the top producers deploy their rich political and business capital more equitably and more profitably. Sponsorship is the most meaningful way of supporting mid-level and senior associates up to, and through, the challenging first few years of partnership, when the safety net – if any – is gone and generating business is paramount.

Customized Blended Coaching

Customized group and individual coaching for women lawyers. We meet as a group (in person or on Zoom) every two or three weeks, following a flexible curriculum suited to participant needs. These may include personal brand and business development, internal self-promotion and partnership, and work/life alignment. Between meetings, I also meet individually with each group member to develop her business plan and address concerns particular to her.

 “Betsy’s excellent business development programming for women and individuals of color is informed by an exceptional understanding of the professional challenges they face as lawyers, by a passion for their success, and by her own experience building a successful practice. Her services are invaluable to both women attorneys and attorneys of color, as well as the organizations who are committed to seeing them succeed.”

Vernā Myers, Vice President, Inclusion Strategy at Netflix

2018-04-16T15:15:59+00:00

Vernā Myers, Vice President, Inclusion Strategy at Netflix

 “Betsy’s excellent business development programming for women and individuals of color is informed by an exceptional understanding of the professional challenges they face as lawyers, by a passion for their success, and by her own experience building a successful practice. Her services are invaluable to both women attorneys and attorneys of color, as well as the organizations who are committed to seeing them succeed.”

“Betsy is the best mentor a young attorney entering the world of Big Law could ask for. She is warm and friendly, yet candid and direct in her assessment of her mentees’ skills and recommendations on what further steps they need to take to succeed in their legal careers. Betsy leverages her years of experience in the industry, both as a partner at a large law firm and a consultant, to develop tailored programs for her students. She remembers very well what it is like to be a young associate and gives very helpful tips and advice on how to manage the workload, fit in networking, and balance high performance with being a thoughtful and supportive colleague. At the same time, she is very honest about the different challenges and opportunities women face in the work place, and helps young women figure out how to navigate them so that they can succeed and stay true to themselves and their priorities. If you are looking for a mentor who will be supportive, but will also help you develop by challenging you to pursue what you may at first perceive as daunting opportunities, she is your person. She is dedicated, empathetic, will spend as much time with you as you need, and is simply just a pleasure to talk with and learn from.”

Petra Plasilova, Harvard Law School ’16, Associate at Shearman & Sterling

2018-04-16T15:17:59+00:00

Petra Plasilova, Harvard Law School ’16, Associate at Shearman & Sterling

“Betsy is the best mentor a young attorney entering the world of Big Law could ask for. She is warm and friendly, yet candid and direct in her assessment of her mentees’ skills and recommendations on what further steps they need to take to succeed in their legal careers. Betsy leverages her years of experience in the industry, both as a partner at a large law firm and a consultant, to develop tailored programs for her students. She remembers very well what it is like to be a young associate and gives very helpful tips and advice on how to manage the workload, fit in networking, and balance high performance with being a thoughtful and supportive colleague. At the same time, she is very honest about the different challenges and opportunities women face in the work place, and helps young women figure out how to navigate them so that they can succeed and stay true to themselves and their priorities. If you are looking for a mentor who will be supportive, but will also help you develop by challenging you to pursue what you may at first perceive as daunting opportunities, she is your person. She is dedicated, empathetic, will spend as much time with you as you need, and is simply just a pleasure to talk with and learn from.”

“As a career advisor and mentor for the Harvard Women’s Law Association over the past several years, Betsy is a fantastic resource for female students in their second year of law school who are preparing for a summer associate position at a large law firm and, ultimately, a full-time associate position after graduation. Her one-on-one mentoring sessions with individual students are full of valuable information, based on decades of professional experience. Because of Betsy’s warm and generous personality, the law students who meet with her come away from the semester-long advising program with not only helpful career advice but also a meaningful mentoring relationship that continues beyond law school.”

Caroline Stern, Harvard Law School ’16, Associate, Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP

2018-04-16T15:21:04+00:00

Caroline Stern, Harvard Law School ’16, Associate, Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP

“As a career advisor and mentor for the Harvard Women’s Law Association over the past several years, Betsy is a fantastic resource for female students in their second year of law school who are preparing for a summer associate position at a large law firm and, ultimately, a full-time associate position after graduation. Her one-on-one mentoring sessions with individual students are full of valuable information, based on decades of professional experience. Because of Betsy’s warm and generous personality, the law students who meet with her come away from the semester-long advising program with not only helpful career advice but also a meaningful mentoring relationship that continues beyond law school.”

“I participated in Betsy’s Women’s Coaching Program in Summer 2016. I had found myself at a transition point in my legal career. I had a small and growing practice, but was not yet managing a large practice or a lot of clients. I sought advice from Betsy with the goal of growing my practice, improving my skills, building confidence, excelling at client management, and more. Betsy definitely offered great advice! I was part of a group of five women attorneys (from both large and small firms), all of whom were at a similar stage in their careers. In the group sessions, Betsy advised us about business generation (including social media marketing), skill building, law firm politics, and client management. We also spent a lot of time discussing by phone my individual situation and goals for the future. It was all time well spent! I approached several different professionals before settling on Betsy and there are a few things that set Betsy apart from others in my mind. She really practiced law for an extended period of time, and she enjoyed doing so. She offered advice and assistance in an incredibly supportive, yet serious, manner. She truly believes that women can and should succeed as lawyers, even those of us with significant family obligations, and is committed to helping us to do so. I highly recommend Betsy for group and/or individualized coaching, especially for women attorneys at all career stages.”

Rachel Ziegler, Associate, Kaiser Law Group

2018-04-16T15:07:46+00:00

Rachel Ziegler, Associate, Kaiser Law Group

“I participated in Betsy’s Women’s Coaching Program in Summer 2016. I had found myself at a transition point in my legal career. I had a small and growing practice, but was not yet managing a large practice or a lot of clients. I sought advice from Betsy with the goal of growing my practice, improving my skills, building confidence, excelling at client management, and more. Betsy definitely offered great advice! I was part of a group of five women attorneys (from both large and small firms), all of whom were at a similar stage in their careers. In the group sessions, Betsy advised us about business generation (including social media marketing), skill building, law firm politics, and client management. We also spent a lot of time discussing by phone my individual situation and goals for the future. It was all time well spent! I approached several different professionals before settling on Betsy and there are a few things that set Betsy apart from others in my mind. She really practiced law for an extended period of time, and she enjoyed doing so. She offered advice and assistance in an incredibly supportive, yet serious, manner. She truly believes that women can and should succeed as lawyers, even those of us with significant family obligations, and is committed to helping us to do so. I highly recommend Betsy for group and/or individualized coaching, especially for women attorneys at all career stages.”