Second Sunday Series; Women in Law
by C. Elizabeth Peters

On the second Sunday of every month, An Empowered Woman hosts a brunch at the Mountaingate Country Club in Los Angeles, and each month has its own theme. On April 13, women came together to celebrate "Women in Law" and to be informed of all of the legal aspects of life and entrepreneurship. An Empowered Woman, founder Desiree Doubrox reminded us, is "more than a networking group." After all, there are many networking groups out there, but this organization is about women empowering each other through sharing their personal stories, challenges, and victories. In the spirit of that sentiment, each table took a moment to go around and say what we needed more of in life, in case someone else at the table had a resource or some words of advice, before the first speaker began.

"We make legal decisions every day," the Honorable Suzanne Bruguera said when she took the stage.  Suzanne is a civil judge, which means she deals mostly in matter of money and civil disputes and does not deal with criminal acts. She spent a good deal of time telling us about arbitration: settling a dispute outside of the court system. The cons of arbitration are that you don't get to have your trial in front of a jury; the case is decided by one or several retired judges. However, the pros are that you can get your case resolved (in most cases) in less than a year. This is not possible in the court system because criminal trials will take precedent over civil trials, and in Los Angeles County, that means it could take five years or more to try your case.

This knowledge is important because if you are in business, especially if you are dealing with the general public, at some point you will need to sue or be sued. It's a part of being an entrepreneur (or sometimes, even an employee), and Suzanne encouraged us not to take it personally. She recommends settling whenever possible so that you can get on with your life and your business faster than if you were to take it to trial.

Suzanne also reminded us that, for the bad reputations lawyers often get, it's because of lawyers that women today are empowered. Born in Iran, Suzanne is well aware of how a given legal system can affect how a person, especially a woman, is allowed to function in society. Throughout history, it is the decisions made by lawyers and judges that have given women in America the ability to do anything and everything that a man can.

The next speaker was Shaune Arnold, a transaction attorney, which she prefers over other kinds of law because often times she deals with parties who are interacting in a positive context (for example, two people becoming business partners). She discussed the differences between a sole proprietorship, a partnership, an LLC, and a corporation. In general, she doesn't recommend sole proprietorships or partnerships, even though they save on taxes, because there is no protection from having your personal assets taken from you if you are sued. However, to decide what is best for you personally, the best course of action is to talk to your lawyer and your CPA.

Shaune also gave us a piece of advice that she recently learned from personal experience. If in life you come to a natural resting place, rest. Permission to take a break? Now that's empowering!

Before the traditional Second Sunday drawing, during which women give away products and services raffle-style, announcements of upcoming events were made:

Terri Cadiente, A.C.C. announced the Mastermind Meeting, which will be held on Tuesday, April 15, from 6:30-9:30PM. The Mastermind Meeting is free to members and is a way for women to get feedback, resources, or to simply have their ideas be heard.

Laurie Hacking, a certified life coach, hosts the Telebook Club, which meets once a month. You don't have to drive anywhere; just call in. This month they are meeting at 7:00PM on April 23, and discussing The New Earth, by Eckhart Tolle. Even if you haven't read the book, call in anyway because you can still learn quite a bit just from listening in on the discussion.

Finally, Harlene Roen stood up to remind us that if we weren't already members, then we were missing out! Not only do members get to attend the empowered events listed above for free, but also they will have even greater access to this incredible group of empowered women. Plus, new members will have a chance to participate in the "Take Five Radio Show," a five minute interview about you and your business.

"A year ago I was broke and isolated. Being a part of this group has transformed my life and my business," said Gina Ratliffe, life couch and founder of The Queen Esther Experience. Another woman said that, after joining five or six women's groups and then realizing that she couldn't "do it all," she chose to stay with An Empowered Woman over the others.

Desiree truly wants to help other women become empowered, whether it's through greater knowledge of the law, networking, forging relationships with other empowered women, or all of the above.

Join us next week as we celebrate Mother's Day, Sunday, May 11, 2008, at the Santa Barbara Polo Club.

Article written by C. Elizabeth Peters (www.celizabethpeters.com)