A National Summit of Black Women Lawyers will be conducted in Chicago from Thursday through Saturday, March 8-10, by the Black Women Lawyers Association of Greater Chicago.

The programs, titled “Lifting as We Climb: Our History Demands It, Our Legacy Requires It!” will take place at the Mid-America Club except for Friday luncheon and dinner in the Fairmont Hotel.

BWLA President Nathalina A. Hudson of the City of Chicago Law Department and Vice President Kenyanna M. Scott of Jenner & Block will welcome participants at the opening reception at 5:30 p.m. Thursday. Cheryle Jackson, president of the Chicago Urban League, will speak.

The opening plenary at 9:30 a.m. Friday, “African-American Women: Changing the Course of America,” will feature remarks by Appellate Justice Shelvin Louise Marie Hall and Cook County Circuit Clerk Dorothy Brown.

Speakers at the 12 noon diversity luncheon, “Update on the Call to Action,” at the Fairmont include Prof. Charles J. Ogletree Jr. of Harvard Law School.

Afternoon sessions are Planning and Play-ing to Win, Living the Legacy in the Public Interest, Building Relationships that Build Business, Success Strategies, Building Your Own Legal Empire, and The Value of the J.D.

Attorney and movie producer Debra Martin Chase is keynote speaker for the Legends Gala dinner and award ceremony at 6 p.m. Friday at the Fairmont.

Speakers at the 8 a.m. Saturday judicial breakfast are Appellate Justice Joy Cunningham and Cook County Judge Amanda S. Toney.

Saturday morning sessions are Ethical Considerations in Electronic Discovery, Written and Oral Advocacy, Building Personal Wealth, and Our Community Ourselves.

Judge Ann Claire Williams of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit, will speak at the closing luncheon at 12:30 p.m. Saturday.

For more information, call (312) 554-2088. For registration details, access www.bwla.org.