International Women Leadership Programme

The International Women Leadership Programme has been developed for talented female lawyers who are ready to make conscious career choices in an internationally orientated law firm.

The future of law firms is most promising when lawyers use all of their (leadership) skills, visioning abilities and creative thinking to help clients move successfully forward in their business. In attunement with the new and demanding legal world, lawyers must develop new ways of thinking and problem solving. They must work across borders and boundaries with diverse people and teams. This requires self-awareness, the ability to take initiative and handle difficult situations and the capacity to develop and maintain relationships with clients and colleagues.

During this intensive leadership programme, participants will gain insight into personal, and firm related leadership challenges focusing on developing various leadership skills during three modules:

1. Leadership & awareness (person, role and system)
2. Applied personal leadership (leadership development and self-awareness about your talents and pitfalls)
3. Putting leadership into practice (work with your colleagues and conjoin the knowledge of the previous days)

‘’The programme makes us aware of being in charge of our own decisions and career paths. That we should always speak up.’’

International Women Leadership Programme

This programme was developed in close cooperation with the best law firms of Europe. Board members of these law firms continue to have an important role in the programme. This ensures that the programme is linked to daily practice and that participants and their firms have the opportunity to create their own effective network. Participants will be challenged with new ideas, receive individual feedback, and enjoy a supportive forum in which diverse issues are shared to facilitate cross-learning. More than 150 talented female lawyers completed our programme so far.  

“I learned that good leaders aren’t necessarily ‘born’. Leadership requires work.”

Topics that will arise

• Which career steps would I like to make?
• How can I become a more powerful & visible lawyer?
• Which leadership skills do I want to develop further?
• How do I become skilled at the game of crafting a career and learn how to play the game successfully?
• How do I utilise my (emotional) intelligence, support growth for my (future) team and build a valuable and respected business
• How can I position and profile myself within my firm, in my section and in relation to senior partners?
• How do I prioritise and focus on my goals in a hectic law practice?

Background information

OSR legal education was established more than 40 years ago and is the largest post-academic legal education institute in the Netherlands. We started the first edition of the national Women Leadership Programme (WLP) in 2006 in close cooperation with the top 20 law firms in The Netherlands. The WLP was developed specifically for high potential women lawyers with 6 – 16 years experience at the top of the Dutch legal profession. The enthusiastic responses of the participants inspired us to develop an international version of our programme: in 2008 the IWLP was born.

“An excellent programme! I gained further insight into my abilities, which also increased my self-confidence.”

Brochure

You will find all information about the programme in our brochure about the International Women Leadership programme.

Interviews with participants

Christine Delagaye, Counsel at AKD Belgium, about her experiences in the IWLP.
Read the interview with Christine Delagaye.

Vivian Lee, Senior associate at De Brauw Blackstone Westbroek, about her experiences in the IWLP.
Read the interview with Vivian Lee.

Liesbet Vandenplas, Partner Eubelius – Attorneys at Law
”The programme made me aware of my convictions and goals in professional life, gave me the necessary insights in myself, in roles and power and leadership in the most inspiring sense of the word, and the strength to stand up and speak to the firm’s board and partner’s meeting and defend my business plan.”

Dr. Katharina Hesse, Rechtsanwältin, Partner Hengeler Mueller
”There is no business day without me thinking about some of the things I learnt in the programme.”