Contributed by Rebecca Chong, Rooks Rider Solicitors. Erin Abrams contributed some information to this article.

“Heterosexuality isn’t normal, just common,” British artist and gay activist Derek Jarman once quipped. Although the general population has become increasingly aware of sexual diversity in the workplace, particularly since the Gay Pride movement took on a more moderate face in the 1980s. It helped to raise the positive profile of gay men and lesbians when respected celebrities came out of the closet. For example, Rosie O’Donnell and Ellen DeGeneris, high-profile lesbians, are popular talk show hosts who have been involved in a variety of advertising campaigns.

However, even though people in the LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender) community are increasingly accepted as such at work, there is still a disturbing trend of defining individuals by their sexual identity. Unfortunately, the stereotypes based on a person’s sexual orientation that have emerged, and that are perpetuated by the entertainment industry, sometimes permeate the workplace and affect employer’s perceptions about who is well-suited for a job and what kind of employee that person might be.

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stories_michelle.jpg“[My platform] is to make sure that my kids have their heads on straight. We can talk about [that] high-falutin’ notion … but here I am, a woman professional who has to work on top of my first job as a mother.”

Sounds like a statement that could have been made by any working mom in America. But it wasn’t just an ordinary mom, struggling to make ends meet between a full-time job and full-time parenting. It was Michelle Obama, wife of presidential hopeful Barack Obama, explaining to a voter that she hadn’t really given much thought to her “First Spouse” platform, because her duties as a mother and her job as a hospital administrator took precedence.

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The event is geared to women in their ultimate or penultimate year of study interested in a career in Operations, Finance, Business Management and Technology. This is an opportunity for networking and informal discussion around careers at JPMorgan. Places are limited.

In addition to the widely shared challenges of finding and keeping mentors, the program also will address mentoring issues unique to women and lawyers of color. Going beyond the basics of self-marketing, this program will illustrate appropriate methods for gaining positive recognition from senior associates, partners, and clients.

CIMG0571.JPGIt was standing room only at London Business School on January 31, 2008, as executives from around London came to hear tips and stories from four senior women who have risen through the ranks while working flexibly. Kate Grussing, Managing Director and Founder of Sapphire Partners, moderated the panel. Some advice recurred throughout the evening:

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For this Expert Answers column, The Glass Hammer turned to Catherine Costley, Assistant Solicitor in the Family Department of Rooks Rider Solicitors, a top British law firm known for its expertise in Employment Law. Here, Catherine provides her expert opinion to Glass Hammer readers about how to protect your assets in the event of a divorce. Erin Abrams, a New York divorce attorney, also contributed to this article with respect to divorce law in the United States.

88054915_90a58e7897_m.jpgThere’s a saying favored by women divorcing their husbands… “What’s mine is mine but what’s yours is mine too.” There’s a misconception that upon a divorce, most women are out to take their husbands for all the money they’ve got. Flowing from that is the misconception that the courts will actually endorse such thinking when it comes to financial settlements in a divorce. To the contrary, today more and more women are amassing wealth in their own right and instead of wanting to take her husband’s assets upon divorce, it is a case of preservation of the fruits of their labor.

Although this advice may come a little late for those of you reading this with a wedding band on your hand, the best place to start the preservation of your assets is with a prenuptial agreement.

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Womenintechnology is excited to offer you this full-day workshop that provides the tools to help you create visibility for yourself.

111515924_cd0b07f0c2_m.jpgThis week, we at The Glass Hammer are kicking off a new occasional Friday segment where we review and recommend business-oriented books that might be of particular interest to women working in law and finance. Today we review 3 top business books, so keep reading after the jump. Have a top pick yourself? Write in to let us know what you would like to see us review. Did one of these books change your life? (or end up being used to line your kitty’s litter bin?) Leave a comment and let us know!

“Basic Black: The Essential Guide for Getting Ahead at Work (and in Life)” by Cathie Black

“One Person/ Multiple Careers: How The ‘Slash Effect’ Can Work For You” by Marci Alboher

“Fire Your Boss” by Stephen Pollan and Mark Levine
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The Worth Collection invites FWA members to an evening of shopping and networking.

Saving Second Base, an organization of young professionals committed to raising money for Susan G. Komen for the Cure affiliated organizations, will be holding a Fashion and Finance Party on Thursday, February 7 at Tailor (525 Broome Street) beginning at 7:00 p.m. The event, which will celebrate Fashion Week and bring together those from the communities of fashion and finance, is hosted by Gossip Girl Abigail Lorick, Urbanista.com, and eFinancialCareers the online marketplace for financial jobs.