This organization was formed in 1984 “to address the needs of women attorneys in the Shawnee County area.”  Thirty people attended an organizational meeting and expressed an interest in forming a local association of women in the legal profession.  Officers were elect ed, committees formed and bylaws drafted.  Cathy Reeder served as the first president in 1984-85 and 60 attorneys joined.  Barbara Rankin served as president in 1985-86, followed by Marty Snyder in 1987-88.  Membership exceeded 100 during the 1988-89 year. 

The Women Attorneys’ Association of Topeka is a nonprofit corporation that was formed in 1984 to address the needs of women attorneys in the Shawnee County area. It evolved from a group of women attorneys in Topeka who met for lunch on a regular basis and were interested in discussing the problems that are unique to women attorneys. The Association espouses the advancement, education and support of women in the legal profession and promotes the administration of justice and improvement of the law, especially as it relates to women.  Anyone licensed to practice law or attending a law school may become a member.  Current membership includes attorneys in private practice and government service, law professors and members of the judiciary .  The Association is governed by a board of directors and has no staff.  It meets monthly at the YWCA and conducts its activities through its members.

In 1984, Judge Marquardt participated in an informal network of women who met for lunch to talk about the ups and downs of working in private practice.  As attendance increased, there was talk of incorporating and becoming a formal organization with a mission of supporting and promoting women in the legal profession. However, some voiced concerns that a women attorneys organization would antagonize the local and state bar associations that would view the organization derisively as a "hen's club" and, more importantly, would vie for their members.

This concern came to a head at one planning meeting where the women discussed electing officers, and there was a timid proposal that future members would be asked to pay annual dues of $5.  According to one observer, Judge Marquardt, who had been sitting and patiently listening, finally stood up and proclaimed: "We will organize and we will pay dues, but they will not be $5.  We will charge $25 so that we can have operating capital and so that people will know that membership has some value."

Strengthened by Judge Marquardt's resolve, these women, struggling to find their place in a private practice community that was almost exclusively male, became the Women Attorneys Association of Topeka.  This group flourishes today, providing, among other things, scholarships to female law students and mentorship opportunities.