U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers got straight to the point Wednesday evening when moderating a panel of women from law firms and in-house legal departments at the San Francisco federal courthouse. "Why do women have a problem tooting their own horn?" she asked the group, which included Oakland Athletics' general counsel D'lonra Ellis; peer-to-peer car-sharing company Turo's chief legal officer Michelle Fang, name partner Gay Grunfeld of Rosen, Bien, Galvan & Grunfeld; and partner Stephanie Skaff of Farella, Braun + Martel. The program, entitled "Toot Your Own Horn: Mastering the Art of Self-Advocacy," was the 10th event presented by the Northern District of California's Women Attorneys Advocacy Project, which aims to address issues women face in the legal profession. Gonzalez Rogers cited research that shows that women are less likely to apply for a job unless they feel they are fully qualified. The judge asked panel members to reflect back to their personal experience and share tips on how they managed to move up the career ladder in both business and law firm environments. "One of the things that happens to all of us is that there are places where we have confidence gaps," said Skaff, who has been practicing as an intellectual property litigator at Farella Braun + Martel for the past 23 years. Skaff's advice to younger attorneys is to leverage their strengths and lead with them, so they can build the credibility to develop in the places where they are less confident. "My approach over the years has always been to create a network of people who can support me," she added, stressing the importance to have others, such as clients and mentors, advocate for her success. Ellis, who joined Oakland Athletics as their general counsel two years ago, said she got the job because she had raised her hand indicating her interest in the position. "Yes, you should work super hard, and you should do excellent work, and you also have to reach for it," Ellis said. Echoing Ellis, Turo CLO Fang, added that it is also important to be realistic and have a specific goal. "You have to be very specific in your asks," she said. "You have to have something in your background and your experience that justifies why you should be given that opportunity." Playing the Long Game The panelists also encourage the female attorneys to play the "long game" by establishing long-term relationships with their peers, clients and mentors. "Women are uniquely situated to think about that long play," said Fang, giving an example about how she ended up hiring a friend to handle work for Turo because of investment that person put into establishing and maintaining their relationship. It's important to be consistent in relationships, added Ellis, noting that she had noticed that some law firm lawyers she had relationships with receded when she moved to work for a nonprofit organization. Now, as a general counsel for a sports team, Ellis said it is more likely to consider the firms that have had a consistent attitude toward her work throughout. "Most of us are going to work until over 60," Ellis said, reminding the group to think about relationships from a long-term perspective. Authenticity, Turning Barriers Into Opportunities Referring back to her experience as a federal judge, Gonzalez Rogers said attorneys who are conformable in their "own skin" are more likely to succeed at advocating for themselves. "When you feel confident, when you feel like you are going to win that argument and win that client … you are going to be better," she said. The panelists agreed. "Often authenticity comes easy," Ellis added. "When someone plays dress up on the client-side, you can actually tell." Gonzalez Rogers also talked about her own career path, sharing how she was able to advocate for herself after taking some time off to raise her children. "What other people called barriers sometimes if you have the right mindset can be opportunities," Gonzalez Rogers said, explaining that being a mom has made her more judicious, which ultimately has become beneficial for her as a judge.