We’ve Come So Far

Continued from page 5 and laws in 2023 that specifically address equality issues. As leaders in their field, they inform us of the affirmative steps California is taking, steps to protect against pay and other inequities.

Women continue to find themselves burdened with the bulk of domestic responsibilities, even when working full-time and advancing their legal careers. This is especially true for women in the “sandwich generation” – those juggling the needs of children and aging or sick parents. In very personal and touching articles, Jennifer Wallis and Alice Cheng give us a unique glimpse into how the COVID pandemic actually helped them both find new strategies for dealing with the demands of family and work.

Whether you agree or disagree with the Dobbs decision, there can be no mistake that it radically and fundamentally altered women’s reproductive freedom and unleashed legislation that impacts, for better or worse, equal access to medical care depending on the state in which you live. Beth Parker, who has served as General Counsel to three Planned Parenthood affiliates, and John Yoo, the Emanuel S. Heller Professor of Law at UC Berkeley School of Law, have vastly different perspectives on the reasoning behind the decision itself but agree on one thing: rather than end the legal debate on abortion, the decision is guaranteed to spark considerably more litigation and, once again, place the courts front and center in the controversy.

I feel uncertain about the future of women’s reproductive and other rights. Raise the issue of women’s equality to a group of 20 women, and you are likely to get 20 different answers, none of which would express confidence or certainty about the future. Something about the Dobbs decision made everything feel less certain, less inalienable. I find myself side-tracked by “what if?” “when?” and “how long?” and despite my usual optimism, I feel the progress we have made over the last 50 years is fragile indeed.

Renée Welze Livingston As the Founding Member of Livingston Law Firm‚ Renée had the vision and resolve to build a preeminent civil trial firm in the San Francisco Bay Area in 2000. The firm is committed to increasing diversity, equity and inclusion in the legal profession. Renée served on the Board of Directors for the National Association of Minority and Women Owned Law Firms from 2003 - 2012 and the Contra Costa County Bar Association from 2012 - 2018. An accomplished trial lawyer and member of ABOTA, Renée is a Past President of the Association of Defense Counsel of Northern California and Nevada and currently serves on the Board of Directors for DRI. She is a graduate of the University of California‚ Santa Barbara, USF School of Law, A-V (5.0) rated by Martindale-Hubbell and a multi-year Northern California Super Lawyer.