Posted by By Laura Bagby, Communications Director, Illinois Supreme Court Commission on Professionalism
The Illinois Supreme Court Commission on Professionalism is joining The Chicago Bar Association (CBA) and the CBA Alliance for Women to stage a unique Women’s History Month CLE, spotlighting the relationship between pageantry and lawyering.
“Pageants, Professionalism, and Power: Unexpected Lessons for Lawyers from Pageantry ” will take attendees behind the scenes, as a panel of Illinois lawyers and judges discusses how the skills they developed through pageantry have shaped their success in legal and judicial careers.
The in-person CLE will be held on Thursday, March 19, from 3:30 – 5 p.m. at the CBA, 321 S. Plymouth Ct., in Chicago. A reception will follow. Attorneys, judges, and law students from all backgrounds are invited to attend; no pageant experience or background is required.
1.5 hours of Illinois professional responsibility CLE will be provided. Registration is required and complimentary. Click here to learn more and register.
“Lawyers and judges are constantly in the spotlight – whether in the boardroom, courtroom, or client meetings. Many of the skills I refined in pageantry have been essential to my career on the bench and in the bar, like clear communication, composure under pressure, and confident advocacy,” said CBA President Judge Nichole C. Patton. “I am excited to co-host this program, which will explore why pageant experience is a powerful asset in the legal profession.”
“The CBA Alliance for Women is proud to support this event and the accomplished roster of panelists, who are ambassadors of confidence, resilience, and professionalism,” said Meghan O’Donnell, Chair of the CBA Alliance for Women. “From advocating for civics education, child literacy, and anti-bullying legislation as pageant contestants, to attaining successful careers as litigators, civil rights attorneys, and leaders in the judiciary, among others, these panelists are dispelling stereotypes and empowering women in the legal profession.”
About ‘Pageants, Professionalism, and Power’
“Pageants, Professionalism, and Power” will explore how Illinois attorneys and judges of all backgrounds can leverage techniques of the pageant trade – including confident public speaking, managing composure and civility under pressure, defying biases and stereotypes, and overcoming imposter syndrome – to improve their legal practice and the profession as a whole.
These transferable power skills can support lawyers’ performance in oral arguments, trial work, negotiation, business development, and other high-stakes professional legal settings.
The CLE program will feature eight Illinois lawyers and judges who bring an array of experience in pageantry and the law. The CLE will be moderated by:
Judge Nichole C. Patton, CBA President, who competed in a Miss Alabama preliminary competition
Erika Harold, Executive Director, Illinois Supreme Court Commission on Professionalism, Miss America 2003
Panelists include:
Breana Bagley, Assistant Chief Legal and Compliance Counsel at Citizens Equity First Credit Union, Miss Illinois 2024
Stephanie Barber, Associate, Seyfarth Shaw LLP, Miss Arkansas USA 2021
Judge Amanda Byassee Gott, Circuit Judge, First Judicial Circuit, Miss Southern Illinois 1994
Heather Neaveill, Administrative Hearing Officer, Circuit Court of Cook County – Domestic Relations Division, Fourth Runner Up, Miss Louisiana State University 1994
Kristine M. Schanbacher, Partner, Dentons, who competed in the National American Miss Teen Nebraska and Miss Chicago pageants
Gail Schnitzer Eisenberg, Partner, Loftus & Eisenberg, Miss Junior Illinois Preteen 1998, First Runner-Up Miss East Central Illinois
“The scholarship money and appearance fees I earned as Miss America 2003 enabled me to graduate debt-free from Harvard Law School,” Harold said. “Moreover, the skills I cultivated through competing in pageants equipped me to become a more effective litigator, advocate, and leader. I am honored to join Judge Patton and our impressive panelists for what is believed to be the first CLE of its kind in Illinois.”
The CLE is sponsored by the CBA, the Illinois Supreme Court Commission on Professionalism, the CBA Alliance for Women, LexisNexis, and Carlson Dash.