Our History

The LEAD Academy was founded in 2015 by the officers and board of directors of the Bexar County Women's Bar, under the leadership of Past President Tiffanie Clausewitz. The goal was twofold: help talented women excel in the practice of law, and help them stay in it.

The case for the program was already well documented. For more than a decade, the National Association of Women Lawyers had tracked persistent gaps between men and women in the profession — in compensation, promotion, and retention; in how billable work was distributed; in who received client origination credit; and in who sat on the governance and compensation committees where those decisions were made. The pattern was consistent enough to be predictable, and specific enough to act on.

More than a decade later, LEAD is recognized across Texas as a model leadership academy for women attorneys. In 2018, the State Bar of Texas presented LEAD with its Star of Achievement Award. LEAD alumnae now lead companies and professional organizations throughout Bexar County, and the referral networks built inside each class have long outlasted the year that created them.

Retention follows opportunity. LEAD prepares participants to lead with self-awareness and confidence, to project credibility, to build durable professional networks, and to make the full measure of their contribution visible within their firms and organizations.