A History of the Women Lawyers Section
By Mary Muehlen Maring
I entered the legal profession at a time when few women were even attending law school . In 1972 , there were no women in the thirdyear class at the University of North Dakota School of Law and six each in the first- and second-year classes . Women at the law school recognized the need for an organization to promote the advancement of women in the law and the civil rights of all persons . Consequently , the Law Women ’ s Caucus formed in 1973 . Similarly , in 1972 , women lawyers in Minnesota created a forum for support and action called Minnesota Women Lawyers .
There were only a handful of women lawyers in law firms in the late 1970s and early 1980s in Fargo-Moorhead , where I practiced . We started gathering informally Saturday mornings to talk about the challenges we faced as lawyers and parents . Gradually , we grew in numbers and began to get together for a monthly luncheon .
Formation of a New SBAND Section
Sometime in 1986 , Sarah Andrews Herman , Patricia Monson , and I met and talked about the success of the Minnesota Women Lawyers . We discussed the formation of a similar group in North Dakota . Maureen Holman joined our conversations .
Our first decision was whether we should be an independent organization or a new section of the State Bar Association of North Dakota . We concluded the section option was best because there were too few women lawyers to financially support an independent organization . Pat learned the Board of Governors would need to approve formation of the section .
Pat presented the resolution to the Board of Governors and was asked why women needed a separate section when they were members of SBAND . Pat explained there were issues pertinent to women in the Bar ; that we wanted to use our time , energy , and resources to address those issues ; and some of those issues had little , if any , impact on the men . Pat was asked whether men could join and answered yes , “ but whoever joined the section would have to understand that the main focus of the section was the improvement
FIRST WOMEN LAWYERS SECTION OFFICERS :
President – Patricia Monson President Elect – Rebecca Thiem Secretary / Treasurer – Maureen Holman Member at Large – Judith Howard
CURRENT WOMEN LAWYERS SECTION OFFICERS :
President – Lori Conroy lori . conroy @ co . clay . mn . us President Elect – Sarah Baron sarahbarron @ barronlawfirmllc . com Immediate Past-President – Jean Hannig hannig @ mnstate . edu Secretary / Treasurer – Tracy Kennedy tracykennedy @ northdakotalaw . net Member at Large – Kathryn Hinds khinds @ me . com
of the status of women in the Bar and in society .” The resolution passed .
A group which included Pat and me , along with Sarah Andrews Herman , Vivian Berg , Donna Murphy , Jonel Uglem , Judith Howard , and Sherry Mills Moore , met and adopted bylaws . The first official Section meeting was held on June 9 , 1988 .
Gender Fairness
Fundamental fairness and equal opportunity were essential goals of the Section so , beginning in 1989 , the Section was involved in the formation of a task force to study gender fairness in the courts .
Mary Muehlen Maring is a former North Dakota Supreme Court Justice currently serving as a Surrogate Judge . She practiced law in North Dakota and Minnesota for 20 years , was certified a Civil Trial Specialist , and is a member of the International Society of Barristers . She held leadership positions in North Dakota and Minnesota bar associations , serving on numerous committees to study and improve the justice system . In 1996 , she was appointed by Governor Schafer to the Court , was elected in November 1996 to complete that term , and was twice elected to 10-year terms . She chaired Judicial Conference , Gender Fairness Implementation Committee , Juvenile Drug Court Committee , Joint Procedure Committee , Judicial Education Committee , Juvenile Drug Court Advisory Committee , and was a member of the Juvenile Policy Board . She currently serves on the Alternatives to Incarceration Interim Legislative Committee . In 2014 , she received the Richard S . Arnold Award for Distinguished Service by the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals . She is a qualified neutral and owner of Maring Mediation . In 2016 , she received the Distinguished Service Award from the State Bar Association .
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