Washington Lawyer - March/April 2020 - 19

FEATURE

voluntary bar associations in the Washington, D.C., area. In September
2019, Dash accepted a posthumous award on behalf of Mussey from the
Daughters of the American Revolution. "It was a wonderful day. Many of
our past [WBA] presidents were there. They were really moved by it
because this is a woman whose shoulders we all stand on."
A graduate of Cornell University and Duke University School of Law,
Dash currently serves as vice president of strategic engagement at
the American Constitution Society (ACS), which she joined in 2008.
Previously, she worked at the Federal Trade Commission and at law firms
Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP and Zuckerman Spaeder LLP.
Dash remembers wanting to become a lawyer starting around eight years
old, even though there were no attorneys in her family. But Dash excelled
in speech and debate classes, a skill she carried over into her college years.
"I really liked forming arguments and doing the critical analysis involved. I
never really thought about doing anything much else career-wise," she says.
Her awareness about the struggles women face in the legal field
deepened incrementally after she entered the workforce. She witnessed
many women leaving the profession because they were perceived as too
aggressive or were talked over by their male counterparts, or because
they had to juggle family and career demands. "It was really the build-up
of microaggressions," she says. "It's getting better with more men taking
more responsibilities involving managing their families. But it still disproportionately falls on women's shoulders."
Dash decided to create an "alternate path" for herself to balance work and
family life. "I was in law firms; now I'm at a nonprofit. One of the reasons
I've been at the ACS for 11 years is because I've found room to grow, learn
new things, and create new relationships. But at the same time, I've had
more flexibility." Dash is mindful that many other women lawyers don't
benefit from such an ideal work environment.

I want anybody coming into the room to feel
like their interests and viewpoints are welcomed.
If you have all-white panels, you're not going to
be welcoming to a diverse array of people across
the city.
JILL DASH
Women's Bar Association of the District of Columbia

it. But the question is, how do we solve the problem? There's also obvious
MeToo issues. Some of that has been exposed over the last couple of
years. I think there's a lot of implicit bias. We still see it. It's very deeply
rooted."
"I think all employers have to examine their practices on diversity, be very
intentional about it, then really root out what is causing people to leave,"
Dash continues. "Employers should conduct exit interviews to better
figure out why someone is leaving, then fix those problems."
As WBA president, Dash works to ensure that panels hosted by the organization are as diverse as possible. "I want anybody coming into the room
to feel like their interests and viewpoints are welcomed. If you have allwhite panels, you're not going to be welcoming to a diverse array of
people across the city," Dash says.

Dash believes that squashing implicit bias is one way to level the playing
field not just for women but also for other people facing systemic discrimination. Dash is also a strong advocate for creating alliances across
various groups.

When Dash completes her term this year, she hopes to leave behind a
legacy as someone who helped create alliances across the legal profession. "I want people to remember that I connected people so that they
can help one another get awards and recognition to strengthen their
careers. That gives me a lot of satisfaction," she says.

"It's true that lots of people of color, particularly women of color, drop
out of law firms," she says. "I think law firms have become more aware of

Fatima Goss Graves, Monica Medina, Judge Tanya Chutkan, and Jill Dash, Patrice Gilbert Photography. Some
images taken at the Library of Congress, "Shall Not Be Denied: Women Fight for the Vote" exhibition.

MARCH/APRIL 2020

WASHINGTON LAWYER

Washington Lawyer - March/April 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Washington Lawyer - March/April 2020