Judith Barnett
Judith Barnett served in the Clinton, Reagan and Carter Administrations. She is an accomplished corporate lawyer and litigator, law professor, writer and businesswoman. After serving as Deputy Assistant Secretary at the U.S. Department of Commerce in the Clinton Administration, Judith began The Barnett Group, an international trade consulting firm specializing in the Middle East and North Africa.
What was your best career decision?
Definitely, going to law school. I moved to Washington, DC in the early 1970s, as a doctor’s wife. A few years later, I found myself to be divorced with a wonderful two year-old daughter and a teacher’s degree. I was unclear how I would be able to support the two of us. I was from a family who had participated in politics and decided that I would try to join the Carter Administration. There I taught myself to be a speechwriter, meetings planner and public affairs specialist. After Carter lost re-election, I returned to school to get the professional training that I was denied as a young woman growing up in the ‘50s and ‘60s. I worked during the day, went to law school at night with my little daughter sitting next to me and then went home to do my homework. It was strenuous, but worth every late night.
Twenty years ago when you were working full-time and attending law school, there weren’t many resources available to single working moms. How did you manage?
I knew that I needed independent credibility to get “in the room.” I counsel younger women to get as much education and professional training as possible before they assume responsibilities of the real world; and to build a nest egg. I never had one during those times. I remember going to the ATM machine to get cash for dinner with a friend and had 65 cents. I was juggling a lot and at times, it seemed like I was holding things together with bubble gum and string!
What helped you to get through each day during that time?
It was 100% perseverance and blind hope. I had a fear of success and a fear of failure so it balanced out and I made it. I had doubts, though, hourly.
When building your career, did you have a mentor along the way?
In the Carter administration, there were very few women. We had photographs of all the senior women in government and they fit on one small poster. So we started networks on every level. Through that, I found out about a position in the then “new “Department of Education. I worked for Liz Carpenter, who had worked for President Johnson. I sought out other women mentors throughout law school, in firms and in government. It makes me sad when I hear “I can’t work for a woman.” It’s always a mix, whether male or female.
How do you seek a mentor when there aren’t formal programs in-place?
I would find someone that had done something, generally in my field, that I had not yet done. I’d find them anywhere in the organization and ask for 10 minutes of their time. There had to be a connection, patience and willingness; and it would often grow from there. In law school, I set-up a program with a wonderful group of women, ages 35 – 55. The young students were interested in finding the perfect jeans. We were interested, yet overwhelmed, with everything in our lives — children, husbands, jobs, classes, bills. We still meet, every month, twenty years later.
What was your biggest challenge throughout your career?
Being a single mom and doing it right. Knowing that each growing moment might never come back again. I wouldn’t hang around the office after 6 pm even though those were often the times that decisions were being made. And there was a lot of gender discrimination in the practice of law in the 1980s. I went to an interview for a first-year summer associate position and the partner concluded, “girl, what you need is not a summer associateship, what you need is a husband.”
How does this translate into benefits for women today?
A large percentage of medical, law and graduate school classes now have female majorities. Women are getting the training and it’s an exciting era. Having worked with Hillary Clinton, there is a recognition that we can do anything; although not necessarily at the highest levels yet. I think there is a plexi-glass ceiling. We’re not going to get positions easily, such as CEOs and board directorships. Only 16 of the top 100 American CEOs are women, but what about the other 84?
What do you think will create a greater momentum for this change?
There’s a spoken willingness for change but in the workplace, there has not been enough action for change. We don’t see people as part of a family but as individuals who should be willing to do anything for their careers. Those companies that do see people as part of a family are the real winners and often the long-term success stories.
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