Inspirational Women December 2012: Heena Musabji, Donna Peel, and Sheila Winkelman Pont

Posted date: December 05, 2012 In: Feature , Inspirational Women | comment : 0

A Muslim, Jew, and a Christian walk into a bar….” Well the way this incredible story goes is quite different. The Skinless Project is thrilled to introduce you to our inspirational women for December this year! We came across three amazingly motivated, courageous, ambitious women who are also mothers, wives, interfaith collaborators who came together for an innovative and significant purpose: To help women balance their work and personal life with dignity and creativity.

Heena Musabji, Donna Peel, and Sheila Winkelman Pont are the founders of the West Cook Pro Bono Network. A Network of over 50 volunteer working mother attorneys who are providing legal services for the indigent, disenfranchised and giving those who do not have a voice. These three women came together to give working women the ability to balance both their personal and professional life by giving them a space to work on their schedule. Simultaneously hundreds of clients in need of legal help are benefitting from the legal representation provided by dedicated, competent, reliable working mother/attorneys.

“ I don’t know what I would have done without out you,” said a domestic violence victim to founders of the West Cook Pro Bono Network. With that, it is clear that the Network is fulfilling its mission to bring legal services to the undeserved. The Network’s founders are women attorneys who created a a way to access an untapped resource for pro bono legal services–attorneys who are now at home. Being in the same position, they knew that through addressing commuting, malpractice insurance, and backup concerns, they would appeal to women like themselves. They just had no idea how much!

The result? Well, there’s the data–over 60 attorneys and over 1000 hours donated–and then there’s the people. There are the clients: incarcerated mothers, over 100 seniors, 7th grade students, domestic violence victims, evicted tenants, and undocumented victims of violence. And then there there are the attorneys: mothers of small children who find being their professional selves a freeing experience; mothers who need to retool to get back into the workforce; and mothers who might never practice law for profit again, but know they have a scarce and hard-earned resource in themselves to share with the community.

The Network began with 10 attorneys at various stages of their lives meeting in a kitchen and in this quick year and 1/2 we have now just received our5 01(c)(3) status.

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We found this idea innovative not only for the legal field, but any professional field that has a large female representation. All three founders boast a powerful resume ( full bio links below) and we applaud them for choosing them to serve their community of women. The West Cook Pro Bono Network is helping women balance their lives and feel fulfilled at the same time. We say, ITS ABOUT TIME!

We had the privilege to have a sit down with two of the innovative founding members of West Cook Pro Bono Network, Heena Musabji and Donna Peel. We hope you enjoy, learn and become inspired, and we hope you join them!

Tell us about why you created the West Cook Pro Bono Network .

Heena : There are so many reasons to give back to the community. What if you could this without having to cut back on your other priorities, but can use your career, your degree, your experience in a way that is convenient to you and your lifestyle and still help those in need. Being fantastic as a mother, an attorney, a wife, and everything else you’ve managed to get on your plate can become quite the balancing act.

We found that there were so many women (and some men) like us who had to leave work or are working part-time, but have a very valuable law degree. Studies show that there is such an overwhelming and dire need for pro bono representation. By creating opportunities that fit schedules and lifestyles of mom attorneys is what makes the network so successful at connecting lawyers to the indigent in need of representation (a majority of whom go unrepresented in a complicated civil legal system). An organization that respects the challenges of motherhood, is an innovative way to bridge the justice gap.

Donna : Because there is a critical need for legal services by the indigent, a shortage of attorneys being used to serve them, yet numerous attorneys at home raising children who, up to now, have remained an untapped volunteer force to help bridge this gap. We addressed this disconnect by organizing and providing for the needs of these attorneys as well as the legal aid agencies who were unable to reach them.

What were the challenges when you set out implementing your innovative idea?

Heena : Everyone who was in our situation, mothers or attorneys or professionals dealing with changes in their personal lives, completely understood and saw the need for such an organization. However, the challenge came in explaining why our idea was a good one to those who were not in our situation. The usual response was posed as a question asking why there was a need for such an organization when so many legal service organizations offered volunteer opportunities. While it is true that opportunities are offered, but they are provided in a way that is most convenient for the full-time practicing lawyer in the conventional sense. These same agencies that work with us, see the value of our approach, and we collaborate to create opportunities that benefit our volunteer attorneys and still make an impact in providing access to justice.

We started out as a handful of attorneys sitting around a kitchen table wanting to do good, and we are now over 60 attorneys and have provided close 1500 hours of pro bono legal services in such a short period of time. It is becoming easier for people to understand that what we are doing is working.

Of course, there are also many practical challenges that come with running an organization (especially since we grew so quickly): managing attorneys, programs, agencies, trainings and meetings while making sure we are making things comfortable for our network attorneys. The newest challenge as we are growing will be financing and funding, but I am certain we will overcome that as well.

Donna : Organizing the quickly growing organization in an efficient manner where people did not get overwhelmed with emails and multiple communications. The challenge was due to our fast growth in terms of both attorney-volunteers and interested agencies.

Starting something from scratch is daunting, what were the key attributes in your personality that helped you keep going?

Heena : When I identify a goal that needs to be accomplished, I work hard to succeed at it. Seeing a need within our society to value those who have taken on the role of caregiver, and to provide opportunities to them that understand the situation they (the caregivers) are in. Essentially, satisfying the personal and professional self, and getting the community and society to realize that it is possible and effective to do this.

Personally, I am in a constant search and struggle to create a work-life-personal-faith balance that feels right to me no matter what stage of life I am in. I want to figure this out not only for myself, but for everyone else who happens to be in a similar situation. That is what keeps me going.

Donna : For me, it was the 100 percent confidence in the need and our idea being the solution as well as knowing that there would be mistakes.

Who were the key resources?

Heena : Donna, Sheila and I are fortunate to have each other. Key resources were other attorney mothers. There are attorney mom groups out there with a different mission which we were able to gain insight from. The local pro bono legal service community in Chicago. What is amazing is the overwhelming encouragement from supporters and professionals within our own community who have provided their time, money, and special skills and to us.

Donna : No question that the key resource was my partners, Heena & Sheila. After that, I would add that members of our legal community and our neighbors who offered guidance in areas such as the pro bono field, organizational management, marketing, branding, web design, and now, fund-raising.

People say working with a lot of women is difficult (stereotypically of course) what are your thoughts?

Heena : Not difficult at all, especially if all the women are as fabulous as the ones that work with us! I have always been in a working environment full of estrogen, and they have always been positive and successful experiences.

You know that is a stereotype, but we live in a society where media has created the expectation of women to have the “real housewives” demeanor — this is not fair. Motherhood as well as womanhood needs to be given more respect by not only media and society, but also by us as individuals by refusing to accept such portrayals of women.

Donna : I don’t know who says that. It is the commonality of our struggles in managing family and professional life that brings our conversation and understandings to a higher plane. Our colleagues can openly decline a project due to a child’s field trip and know they are respected and valued. Our road thus far has been nothing but invigorating and hopeful.

Do you think our society supports working women?

Heena : Not at large, but WCPBN does, we think working women are great!

Donna : Well, we do and we are society. We also support women who take time off from paid work, but believe it is nothing but wasteful for “society” to not use their experience and education to the highest degree it can be made available.

What can we as a society can do better?

Heena : As women need to have more faith in ourselves. For me, I know I will be more successful in my career self if I know that my responsibilities at home are in order. My employer, colleagues, and clients need to know and understand that I am a mother, and respect me for that attribute. We should not be afraid to put that out there. If enough of us are courageous enough to show society that motherhood is important, and that the current approach to professional culture needs to be tweaked to provide more options, then perhaps society can do better. I know that is what we are trying to do through the network (WCPBN), and we believe our attorneys are a part of “society”.

Donna : We think we have one answer, and that is to provide professional outlets to women during times when perhaps full-time professional life is not a choice. Truly, we are breaking ground for men and for all people regardless of family status who may just want to take a hiatus now and then. Personally, I refuse to take part in conversations about “mommy wars” and the like. I think there is judgement here and there, but, for the most part, we are all too busy to worry about what the girl next door is doing with her time.

What can women as individuals do in their workplace to ask for accommodation?

Heena : Go ahead and ask for it. If you know that you can be more beneficial to your workplace by requesting an accommodation and are successful in explaining that, then they should provide it. Any place of work wants their employees to be at their highest productivity and if an accommodation is going to make you a better asset to the business then let them know.

Donna : First, I think women have to appreciate the workplace’s profit motivation. Then, I think they need to see how their accommodation benefits the business. With women making up the majority of law school classes these days and having the better grades, combined with women clients starting to increase, I think it’s obvious that they are profitable to have around.

Both of you represent a team with religious identity. Heena being Muslim, Donna being Christian and Sheila being Jewish, do you both feel you are building bridges through your work?

Heena : We are coincidentally a religious trifecta. I think all three of us share similar passions and goals, and that is likely to be a result of our faiths. It just goes to show that faith is something that brings people together to do good, not something that draws people apart. We respect each other a great deal, and are devoted to serving the community.

Donna : A Muslim, a Jew, and a Catholic walked up to the bar . . . . I know that the three of us appreciate one another and that our faiths actually have more in common than not. We are all devoted to service and our communities. What is the best to note about our religious diversity is that it was not planned in the least. There was no committee, no policy, it just happened because the three of us shared a passion.

Both of you are fully loaded with family obligations as well, how do you manage to do it all?

Heena :Caffeine is a big supporter during my daily routine! I am also blessed with the love and support of my husband. My kids seem to understand my need to be involved in so much outside the home and often come along for the ride. They also know that I can compartmentalize, and just as easily put that part of me aside to solely focus on them. My eight year old loves to cook and often takes pride in taking care of me. My two year old always knows where my cell phone is when I lose it. My family supports me and I support them, and I am always grateful. At the end of the day I hope I am an effective mom, wife, daughter, sister, aunt, and daughter-in-law…I know I try.

Donna : I do not manage it. I have lately tried to stop working between 3 and 7 and it has worked pretty well. I like that my work has taken away a bit from my kids because now they want to know why. I can say that I’m not going on a field trip because I want to help someone be safe. They seem very proud of their sacrifice. They are also more appreciative when I do go on their field trip. I want them to know that being an adult is something to look forward to.

What inspires you daily?

Heena : That life is short and temporary. Knowing this I have surrounded myself with wonderful and amazing people who motivate me and work with me to make a positive impact in this life. I am thankful for those (the clients) I work for, and am constantly reminded how one day you can have everything and the next day it can be all gone.

Donna : No question the people surrounding me. My fellow board members, my fellow participants, the clients, and it seems like what we do just enables us to encounter more and more incredibly giving people who are happier than most.

What advice would you give women who are wanting to go back to work ( in any field) after having children?

Heena : Stay strong, do not be afraid to create change in the workplace or create a unique career opportunity, and turn off your cell phone for a couple hours after you get home from work to just “be” with your family.