Former TYLA leader hopes book serves as leadership guide for women in law

A former Texas Young Lawyers Association leader has written a book to help women apply corporate leadership research and wisdom to the field of law.

Gindi Eckel Vincent, a Houston attorney who was chair of TYLA in 2006-2007, said she wrote “Learning to Lead: What Really Works for Women in the Law” as a practical guide to leadership for women practicing law today.

The idea grew out of discussions with Mary B. Cranston, a mentor of Vincent’s who leads the American Bar Association’s Commission on Women in the Profession, about a lack of toolkits and research for women seeking promotions and leadership opportunities in the legal field, Vincent said. Cranston is listed as an advisor on the book, which the ABA commission is publishing. 

“The book is essentially broken into three parts,” Vincent, who works as counsel for ExxonMobil, said by email. “The first part highlights background information and statistics, identifies myths and stereotypes that exist, and features the key corporate leadership findings. The second part takes apart the nine essential techniques to lead effectively and tailors them to women practicing law. The third part, and my favorite, features interviews with women leaders that have a law degree as well as preeminent judges in America and closes with Total Leadership Makeover, which applies the techniques to real women practicing law to help them achieve the next step in their career.”

The book will premiere at the ABA Annual Meeting on Aug. 9 in San Francisco and will be available for purchase on the ABA website and, eventually, on Amazon, Vincent said.