Mollie Mohan, Stephanie Wan serve Joint Commission on Women in the Profession

The Missouri Bar Board of Governors has reappointed Mollie Mohan and Stephanie Wan to the Joint Commission on Women in the Profession. 

The Joint Commission on Women in the Profession was formed July 9, 2013, by order of the Supreme Court of Missouri and in conjunction with The Missouri Bar. The commission is charged with assessing the status of women in the profession, identifying barriers to their advancement, combating bias in the justice system and in the legal profession, and with securing full and equal participation of women in the legal profession.

Mohan practices at Tueth Keeney Cooper Mohan & Jackstadt, PC in St. Louis. 

“In my time on the joint commission, we have hosted CLEs addressing certain ‘big picture’ problems like imposter syndrome, representation of women on the bench, and other systemic issues in the profession,” Mohan said. “But we also tackle what might seem like less serious issues – but issues that nonetheless can make a big difference for women in practice. For example, the Joint Commission advocated for lactation rooms in state courthouses, which eliminates a very real barrier to new mothers returning to practice.”

Mohan added that she hopes Missouri lawyers will reach out and offer feedback and ideas on how to better improve gender equity in the profession.

Wan, who practices in the U.S. Attorney's Office, is commission chair. She says her time on the commission has allowed her to witness firsthand how "change can be affected to try to better the status of women in the profession."

“Although women have made so much progress in the legal profession, there are still so many issues that need to be addressed, including the large number of women leaving the profession, pay inequity, the struggles of being a working mother, and lingering issues of sexism,” Wan said. “Many of the women that I know have stories about being mistaken for the court reporter, being asked how they are going to balance their children with their jobs during job interviews, or having to change jobs or leave the profession because they can’t find child care.”

Wan also extended an invitation for all lawyers to the commission's virtual CLE, “The Road Less Traveled: What Made the Difference,” during next week's Spring Committee Meetings. The session will include a panel of women who made pivots during the careers discussing how and why they made those changes, what barriers existed, and how they overcame those barriers.     

Learn more about the Joint Commission on Women in the Profession here.