Women Lawyers on Guard (WLG) is a nonprofit association of lawyers advocating for stricter enforcement of anti-sexual harassment policies in the legal profession. WLG also writes left-of-center amicus briefs on prominent court cases, mostly involving abortion and contraceptive access.

Women Lawyers on Guard Action Network is the 501(c)(4) advocacy arm of WLG.

Activities

Amicus Briefs

Women Lawyers on Guard writes amicus briefs for major court cases, many of which concern abortion and contraception access. ¹

For instance, in June 2022, WLG issued a joint statement with the National Association of Women Lawyers, Women’s Bar Association of the District of Columbia condemning the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision that overturned Roe v. Wade: “We are extraordinarily disappointed, but not surprised, in the ruling of the Court… With the stroke of a pen, this tragic decision creates a generation of women that have less agency over their own bodies than their grandmothers, and abrogates constitutional rights that we have relied on for nearly 50 years.” ²

In August 2022, WLG joined a National Women’s Law Center amicus brief in support of the defendants of the U.S. Supreme Court cases Students for Fair Admissions v. President and Fellows of Harvard College and Students for Fair Admissions v. University of North Carolina. WLG supported the use of race-based admissions standards by state universities, arguing that racial diversity benefits all students for many reasons, including “[countering] harmful stereotypes about women of color.” ³

In April 2022, WLG joined an amicus brief supporting singer Kesha in a defamation lawsuit filed against her by music producer Dr. Luke, whom the singer had accused of sexual misconduct. ⁴ The parties reached a settlement in 2023 after a court ruled Dr. Luke could be considered a “public figure” for purposes of the litigation. ⁵

Also in April 2022, WLF joined an amicus brief to support the plaintiff in Brown v. Arizona, a lawsuit over the enforcement of Title IX on college campuses. ⁶

In January 2019, WLF joined two amicus briefs to support the plaintiffs in Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and State of New Jersey v Donald J. Trump, et al., a pair of lawsuits by two states against the Trump administration to oppose an attempt to give non-religious organizations an exemption from requirements to provide contraception coverage in healthcare plans. ⁷

“Still Broken” Study

In 2020, Women Lawyers on Guard published “Still Broken: Sexual Harassment and Misconduct in the Legal Profession, a National Study,” which was based on surveys taken by 35 state and local bar associations and 24 national organizations. Of the respondents, 92 percent were female. ^{8 9}

The study’s surveys found that sexual harassment was prevalent in the legal profession. For instance, 30 years ago, 51 percent of respondents reported experiencing sexual harassment “often” and 38 percent received harassment “somewhat,” compared to 25 percent and 48 percent in 2020. The survey also reported that 91 percent of alleged harassers were male. ^{10 11}

The report’s summary stated, “The results of this Survey lead to the inescapable conclusion that the system for addressing sexual harassment in the legal profession is still broken.” The report recommends creating new and stricter anti-sexual harassment policies in legal workplaces. ¹²

Conversations with Men

Conversations with Men (CWM) is a follow-up program to “Still Broken” that helps organizations create better anti-sexual harassment frameworks. CWM is largely based on encouraging men to become “allies” to women in the fight against sexual harassment since men “often have more power to institute change” and sexual harassment should be seen as a broader “organizational issue” rather than a “women’s issue.” The program acknowledges that men are often unwilling to speak up for women because of various social pressures; for instance, “they do not want to be seen as ‘mansplaining,’” or to “take up the women’s leadership oxygen in the room.” ^{13 14}

CWM’s recommendations include sponsoring discussion sessions for personnel based on CWM guidelines, hiring additional consultants, “reward[ing] allyship in compensation session,” and making the consequences of sexual harassment more transparent (“Recognize that office gossip ensures that nearly everyone knows when incidents occur, and that keeping consequences secret perpetuates the belief that reporting is futile”). ¹⁵

Leadership

Deborah Barron is a founding member of Women Lawyers on Guard. ¹⁶ She is the founder and executive director of New Left Accelerator, an incubator for left-leaning advocacy groups. Barron previously worked as director for public affairs at Americans for Gun Safety, and worked on the unsuccessful 2002 U.S. Senate campaign of U.S. Representative Chellie Pingree (D-ME) and the 1996 Congressional campaign of former U.S. Rep. Lynn Woolsey (D-CA). ^{17 18}

Cory Amron is a founding member and president of WLG. Amron previously worked in intellectual property law as a partner at Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease LLP. Amron sat on numerous committee positions in the American Bar Association (ABA), including the ABA Commission on Women in the Profession, the ABA Commission on Domestic Violence, the ABA President’s Advisory Council on Diversity, and the ABA Gavel Awards Committee. ^{19 20 21}

Michelle Kallen is a founding member of WLG. Kallen is a partner at Jenner and Block’s Supreme Court and Appellate practice, and she previously served as Solicitor General of Virginia. Earlier, Kallen served as Special Litigation Counsel in the U.S. House of Representatives for the Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol. ^{22 23}

1. “Issues Our Amicus Briefs Have Addressed.” Women Lawyers in Guard. Accessed December 6, 2023. https://womenlawyersonguard.org/amicusbriefs/.
2. “WLG Statement on Dobbs Decision.” Women Lawyers on Guard. Accessed December 6, 2023. https://womenlawyersonguard.org/2022/06/dobbsdecision/.
3. “WLG joins Amicus Brief in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard College and Students for Fair Admissions v. University of North Carolina.” Women Lawyers on Guard. Accessed December 6, 2023. https://womenlawyersonguard.org/2022/08/wlg-joins-amicus-brief-in-students-for-fair-admissions-v-harvard-college/.
4. “WLG joins Amicus Brief Submitted on Behalf of Singer-Songwriter Kesha.” Women Lawyers on Guard. Accessed December 6, 2023. https://womenlawyersonguard.org/2022/04/kesha/.
5. Coscarelli, Joe. “Dr. Luke and Kesha Settle Defamation Lawsuit.” The New York Times, June 22, 2023. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/22/arts/music/kesha-dr-luke-settle-lawsuit.html.
6. “WLG joins Amicus Brief in Brown v. Arizona, Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.” Women Lawyers on Guard. Accessed December 6, 2023. https://womenlawyersonguard.org/2022/04/amicus-brown-arizona/.
7. “Women’s Constitutional Right to Contraception is Under Attack. WLG Signs onto Amicus Briefs in Two Important Cases.” Women Lawyers on Guard. Accessed December 6, 2023. https://womenlawyersonguard.org/2019/01/womens-constitutional-right-to-contraception-is-under-attack-wlg-signs-onto-amicus-briefs-in-two-important-cases/.
8. “Still Broken Executive Summary.” Women Lawyers on Guard. Accessed December 6, 2023. https://womenlawyersonguard.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Still-Broken-Executive-Summary-FINAL-3-14-2020.pdf.
9. “Still Broken Full Report.” Women Lawyers on Guard. Accessed December 6, 2023. https://womenlawyersonguard.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Still-Broken-Full-Report-FINAL-3-14-2020.pdf.
10. “Still Broken Executive Summary.” Women Lawyers on Guard. Accessed December 6, 2023. https://womenlawyersonguard.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Still-Broken-Executive-Summary-FINAL-3-14-2020.pdf.
11. “Still Broken Full Report.” Women Lawyers on Guard. Accessed December 6, 2023. https://womenlawyersonguard.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Still-Broken-Full-Report-FINAL-3-14-2020.pdf.
12. “Still Broken Executive Summary.” Women Lawyers on Guard. Accessed December 6, 2023. https://womenlawyersonguard.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Still-Broken-Executive-Summary-FINAL-3-14-2020.pdf.
13. “Why Conversations with Men.” Women Lawyers on Guard. Accessed December 6, 2023. https://womenlawyersonguard.org/conversationswithmen/.
14. “Conversations with Men.” Women Lawyers on Guard. Accessed December 6, 2023. https://womenlawyersonguard.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/CWM-Report-Final-8.30.23.pdf.
15. “Conversations with Men.” Women Lawyers on Guard. Accessed December 6, 2023. https://womenlawyersonguard.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/CWM-Report-Final-8.30.23.pdf.
16. “History.” New Left Accelerator. Accessed December 6, 2023. https://www.newleftaccelerator.org/our-vision.
17. “Our Expertise.” Women Lawyers on Guard. Accessed December 6, 2023. https://womenlawyersonguard.org/bios/.
18. “Deborah Barron.” LinkedIn. Accessed December 6, 2023. https://www.linkedin.com/in/deborah-barron-7437966?challengeId=AQEAtI8BHmE1igAAAYw_68qc5aPZJxTYvaVdcset6b84-3hU3pgfFWBaTxJr1hJepim9EdU0tDoCEUoytNCaG8Yu1e1ga_LmXw&submissionId=f718287b-5b4a-9e17-62dd-89cce88c351a&challengeSource=AgFd4JMqV4fARwAAAYw_69FCCORtODxJchzjSCR7WK4qfO7DB-bb75RJrDMbEdw&challegeType=AgGz7pEK7phAmAAAAYw_69FF5Dtr42lFC0ICINIAqHo9HXMuKslAfw0&memberId=AgFjzhXs5pTEDAAAAYw_69FIMzHeQiSQAuQFkHj4uR0oTzU&recognizeDevice=AgHL8fdm636C-QAAAYw_69FLskKUI3F8xsC2PW2D9aLM3Joca8G6.
19. Smith, Patrick. “’No Consequences’: Sexual Harassment Persists in Law Firm Culture.” Law.com. September 1, 2022. Accessed December 6, 2023. https://www.law.com/international-edition/2022/09/01/still-broken-women-in-law-continue-to-face-harassment-378-204417/.
20. “Cory Amron.” LinkedIn. Accessed December 6, 2023. https://www.linkedin.com/in/cory-amron-5778b2b.
21. “Our Expertise.” Women Lawyers on Guard. Accessed December 6, 2023. https://womenlawyersonguard.org/bios/.
22. “Michelle Kallen.” Jenner and Block. Accessed December 6, 2023. https://www.jenner.com/en/people/michelle-s-kallen.
23. “Our Expertise.” Women Lawyers on Guard. Accessed December 6, 2023. https://womenlawyersonguard.org/bios/.