During the month of March, Strauss Troy is celebrating Women’s History Month by highlighting several of its female attorneys. We sat down with them to get their thoughts on important topics such as the importance of Women’s History Month, breaking down barriers faced by women in the industry, advice they’d give to other women in the field, and who inspires them.
Today we are highlighting Elizabeth M. Reeder. Liz is a Shareholder at Strauss Troy focusing her practice on Business and Corporate and Trust and Estate Planning in the Kentucky office.
Q: What does Women’s History Month mean to you?
A: Women’s History Month is an opportunity to reflect on and celebrate contributions from women to society. This reflection is especially meaningful in the legal profession where women leave the profession in greater numbers than their male counterparts and at younger ages.
Q: How are you helping women through your practice group at Strauss Troy?
A: Through my work with our business and estate groups, I help women with whatever roles they find themselves in – whether that’s growing their business or navigating how to plan for their futures – I enjoy helping women shape their futures.
Q: What advice would you give to women in your field?
A: My advice to women in the legal profession is that success is not linear. It can be easy to be discouraged after a difficult conversation with opposing counsel or after losing a negotiation. But, our clients count on us to be dogged advocators for their positions and we have to use the same gritty determination to succeed in law practice.
Q: How are you breaking barriers faced by women in your field?
A: I frequently speak at CLE’s and publish articles on business law and trust and estates. I always relish the opportunity to be seen as an expert in practice areas historically dominated by men.
Q: Who is a woman that inspires you, and why?
A: I am inspired by my “Lean In” circle. In 2014, I co-formed a women’s group based on Sheryl Sandberg’s book of the same title. While we don’t meet formally anymore, I am still inspired by the group of like-minded female attorneys. We all continue to practice law and have been each other’s confidants and cheerleaders over the years and I’m inspired by our commitment to making the profession more equitable for all.
To learn more about Liz and her practice group, visit her page here: https://www.strausstroy.com/attorneys/elizabeth-reeder/.