The Opt-In Project presents the first in a series of Roundtables where leaders in selected industries will share what works and what doesn’t in the recruitment and retention of women in the workplace.

The Opt-In Project and our partner for this event, the Forté Foundation, invite you to this roundtable, which will focus on strategies and methodologies that professional services firms (consulting groups, investment banks, financial services firms, and accounting firms), are developing to address these critical issues. You will have the chance to exchange ideas with industry leaders, to compare with your own experiences and companies. At the end of the day, we want your help to use the “leg work” done by these companies to create workplaces that entice women to Opt-In.

Why are we starting here?
The answer is simple: Many of these professional services firms have been pioneers in the world of work-life balance, offering flexible work places, on-site child care, “on ramps” and “off ramps” for people who have taken time off so that they can return to their careers, and rewards for managers who maintain a diverse workforce. They have begun to envision and implement different business models to reflect the changing demands of the workplace and the workforce.

Can we import the successes of the professional services industry to other market segments?
This is the question for the evening... During the Roundtable, you will have a chance to explore and discuss what some of these professional services firms have done and how they have done it, and determine if the practices of these companies can be applied or adapted to other companies and industries. You will have the opportunity, in small group discussions, to converse with leaders from different organizations and to share your own ideas and experiences regarding the retention and advancement of women in the workplace.

“What one man can invent, another can discover.” – Sherlock Holmes

September 28, 2006
Heller Ehrman LLP
333 Bush Street 30th Floor
San Francisco, CA 94104

5:30 – 6:15 Cocktails and Conversation
6:15 – 6:45 Defining the Issues
6:45 – 7:30 Small group Discussions
7:30 – 7:45 Wrap up and next steps

RSVP by September 15th to Anne.Mercogliano@hellerehrman.com

The Opt In Project is a program of Heller Ehrman LLP designed to bring industry leaders together to share concerns, discuss ideas and find new solutions to keep women in the workplace and in positions of leadership. Our belief is that in addressing a problem a collective of people will create better solutions than just one person. The more diverse the group, the more experience is brought to the table, making it more likely that innovative solutions will be found. This is why we believe it is important to keep a diverse workforce. It is also why we want to work with a vast array of people from different industries, different backgrounds, and different perspectives in tackling the barriers that keep women out of the workforce.

For more information, please visit www.hellerehrman.com/optin

LOOK FOR THE NEXT ROUNDTABLE: "NOT JUST FOR WOMEN"
A discussion in Silicon Valley with male-dominated sectors (Technology, Pharmaceuticals and Telecommunications) on how these industries have moved beyond work-life balance being a “women’s issue."