Ladder Down is a year-long program that provides direct training and career development through a combination of coaches, sponsors, and participants to empower women lawyers in three critical areas: leadership, business development, and mentoring.
Our sponsors provide the money, space, support, and other resources to allow our coaches and participants to concentrate on the most important aspect of the program – women lawyers helping each other succeed.
These women lawyers are taking control of their careers and helping other women to do the same.
The statistics are jarring.
of equity partners in the nation’s largest 200 firms are women
of equity partners in the largest 100 firms are female minorities
of firms' equity partners are women even though they make up 70 percent of the businesses' staff lawyers
These trends prevail even though women have continued to enter the practice of law for the past three decades at a rate of at least 50% of law school graduates every year. (Source: Report of the 2020 NAWL National Survey on Promotion and Retention of Women in Law Firms, www.nawl.org.)
To say Ladder Down has changed my professional life is an understatement. The women I have met have shown me the myriad of personalities and life situations women attorneys carry with them. I have learned so much about myself personally and professionally. I have learned to challenge myself to promote and advance myself both within my firm and in business development. When the status quo is unacceptable, be it in my book of business or my career, I have the skills to challenge it, and make the change I want to see.
As an attorney in private practice, the Ladder Down program has inspired me and taught me that with the right business development tools anyone can be successful and grow a thriving book of business. I simply cannot express how grateful I am to have learned excellent approaches and strategies for rainmaking from leading professionals in diverse industries to shed light on the business side of the law.
This is an incredible program. I have been working this year on developing a relationship with a client that was gifted to me from a managing partner at my firm. Due to our goal setting practices in our small group sessions, I recently set up an out of state trip to meet with the client in order to further solidify the relationship. This is something I would have put off until later or would not have had the confidence to set up if it were not for Ladder Down! Through this program I have been empowered to reach out to my existing contacts, make new connections, and have been held accountable (in a very supportive atmosphere) for my marketing goals. The program is totally inspirational and practical at the same time.
The Ladder Down program has been a wonderful and enjoyable experience that has provided tools for business development and better leadership and management skills, introduced me to an amazing group of women lawyers in the community, and has provided inspiration and encouragement. I am so appreciative of the time and devotion by the staff and faculty, and looked forward to attending every session throughout the year. The program was enlightening to help better understand our own and others’ personalities and approach to conflict, keeping us accountable for achieving our business goals, and assisting with management tools both by large group panels and speakers and smaller group discussions of challenges and successes we face in our individual practices. I have incorporated many of the discussed techniques into my practice, and I am excited for future participants to partake in this invaluable experience.
Ladder Down helped me gain the confidence I needed take the first steps of my journey toward developing my own book of business. Not only did Ladder Down energize and motivate me to start developing business relationships, but it gave me concrete tools and steps to capitalize on that motivation. The program faculty’s lessons are invaluable in creating and maintaining your own book of business to give you negotiating power, portability, and increased flexibility within your firm. The program benefits its participants not only through the amazing faculty, like Marianne Trost, but also through its ability to connect other motivated and powerful women together to be an asset and referral source for each other.
Ladder Down propelled me to the next level in my networking game! I’ve been given the tools to effectively market my skills and my goal of developing a book of business is within reach. Thank you Alison and Beth for acting on your vision!
Ladder down is a complete personal development program. It taught me about myself and how to capitalize on my personality traits and skills to become a better lawyer, a happier lawyer, and a lawyer with my own book of business!
The relationships I’ve made in Ladder Down have been invaluable, and the speakers were tremendous. The program has not only provided the tools to be successful in business development, but has provided the support and motivation to help me put these best practices into action.
As a mother of an infant child, I started Ladder Down hoping to gain more control of my work future so that I could have the flexibility to be present in my child’s life. Ladder Down is one of the best programs I could have chosen. Not only have I gained tools to help me land clients, I learned invaluable time management tools to help me balance being a mother, billable hours, and marketing/networking demands. In this short year, I landed a speaking engagement and a client, all due to the teachings from Ladder Down. I highly recommend this program!
As a member of the first Ladder Down class, I found the entire experience very valuable. I learned not just about business development, but how to best develop myself professionally based on my unique personality and individual style. I highly recommend Ladder Down to woman lawyers, regardless of their stage and area of practice.
The Ladder Down program made a tremendous impact on how I am developing my practice and shaping my career. The program was well organized and helped me build a solid strategy to become a successful woman attorney. Each session turned light bulbs on and provided many ‘Aha’ moments. The relationships developed with participants, speakers and instructors will be invaluable for years to come.
Ladder Down has taught me how to pursue business opportunity but, most importantly, has prepared me to take advantage of business opportunity when it presents itself. The program has helped me generate a sincere confidence in my abilities as a lawyer and the value I bring to my firm, my clients and my community.
Ladder Down gave me the support and encouragement I needed to move forward in an area that was unfamiliar to me – being in business for myself. I gained new insights into who I am and how I relate to others, and there was a wealth of information about how to develop business for both small and big firms alike. I will always value the information I received and the friendships I made along the way.
Although in this point of my practice I am comfortable with law practice essentials, I never had the opportunity to learn the business basics of our profession. Through LadderDown I’ve learned how to become a rainmaker in a way that makes sense for the person that I am as well as practical tips for navigating through the world of private practice, all in a supportive community of women lawyers. It’s been a great experience and one that I wish I had much earlier in my career. It’s been a lot of work but I am so glad I took the time and effort. I heartily recommend LadderDown to any lawyer who wants to make a positive change in her career.
Ladder Down is an exceptional program that I am very proud to be a part of. The leadership and business generation skills it taught me have proven invaluable to my practice. It is an innovative program with a practical and candid approach that I do not think I would get anywhere else. I loved every minute of it and look forward to continue to build on the skills I learned and friendships I made.
