On Tuesday, March 13, the Washington, D.C. Chapter of ChIPs hosted its inaugural Book Club Dinner, an evening of discussion and delicious food in the private dining room of a Dupont Circle restaurant. In attendance were nearly 20 women, several of whom, like myself, hailed from government agencies. We were joined by a handful of partners and associates from law firms around the area, as well as several women who work as senior in-house attorneys at companies with local offices. The book of the night was Notorious RBG: The Life and Times of Ruth Bader Ginsburg by Irin Carmon and Shana Knizhnik.
After a half hour of talk unrelated to the book, chapter leader Kathi Cover introduced Ruthanne Deutsch, one of Justice Ginsburg’s former clerks who has since gone on to found the women-run specialty law firm. She was the emcee of the evening. After introductions, one attendee said, “So let’s have three questions related to the book, and then we can go back to chatting.” These turned out to be famous last words: from that moment on, discussion at the table centered solely on the life of Justice Ginsburg, and women’s progress in the world and in the law. Ruthanne offered a wealth of insight as to Justice Ginsburg, and many attendees shared personal anecdotes from various stages of their careers.
It was a special evening, and the DC Chapter plans to host a similar dinner quarterly due to the event’s success. We hope you’ll join us next time!
Justice Ginsburg is no stranger to ChIPs. She and her daughter, Professor Jane C. Ginsburg, were the 2015 ChIPs Hall of Fame inductees. See the induction ceremony video here.