Some advice for young business lawyers just getting their feet wet in the wondrous world of law:

"Once you work for a firm, make yourself indispensable, so that you can do something no one else can do." Those were words of advice from Matt Reinhard, of Miller & Chevalier, in D.C.

But what about women who want to make a name for themselves but have little people at home. "I wanted to get home for dinner . . ." said Andrea Unterberger, of the Corporation Service Co., in Wilmington, Del. "So I went in-house. However, it's hard to go straight from law school to in-house."

They were on the panel at "Hot topics in business law for young lawyers: An overview from the transactional, litigation and ethical perspectives."

Yes, it's good to push to make yourself indispensable to the firm, but you do have to be a bit careful.

"All the critical stuff seems to be passed around these days by e-mail. That's very dangerous," said Richard Stephenson, of Washington Mutual Bank, in Seattle.

So exactly what's with the qualm about e-mail? How about this advice from Roberta Karmel, the first woman member of the Securities and Exchange Commission, now at Brooklyn Law School: "E-mail means evidence-mail." Something to keep in mind.

They were among the speakers at "The nuts & bolts of law practice: How to successfully work within your organization."

Women had a lot of trouble breaking into the law biz a few decades ago. There just weren't very many of them around (unlike today's law schools, where the women outnumber the men).

So how did they make it then? And can their lessons help those women who've followed them?

"In the early '70s, we were still trying to figure out what we were going to wear to work." Speaking was Barbara Mendel Mayden of Bass, Berry & Sims, in Nashville, Tenn.

But that was then. Advice for today's women? "Find a job you like; never stay in a job you don't like," said Lizabeth Moody, Stetson University School of Law, in St. Petersburg, Fla.

And in the same tone: "What got me where I am today is the ability to build support networks," according to Amy Boss, Temple University School of Law, in Philadelphia.

But where to get support? "Go out and find a mentor — the most successful person in the firm doing what you want to do." Words from Mary Beth Clary, at Porter, Wright, Morris & Arthur, in Naples, Fla.

Another take on the advice offered: "Set a reasonable goal and go about pursuing it with a good sense of humor." Ah, yes: You can smile and even laugh from time to time: advice from Mary Ann Hynes, IMC Global, in Lake Forest, Ill.

All the above comments were at the program, "Breaking down barriers to professional success — lessons from the Glass Cutters." But what are the "Glass Cutters"? These are women who've received an award (one person per year) from the Section for outstanding contributions to the Section and to the legal profession as a whole. The award was first given in 1993 and most winners were present for the panel discussion.

Though the panelists did not discuss the matter of the legal biz vs. raising families, as soon as the audience (32, with 31 women and one man) had a chance to raise questions, the subject of kids came up.

Working if you have children "is hard," said Elizabeth Stong, a bankruptcy judge in Brooklyn, N.Y. "Being a lawyer will make you a better parent and being a parent will make you a better lawyer," she said.

"If you can," push your career "before you have any kids. But it's a lot easier now than it used to be." That from Mendel Mayden.

We're our own worst enemies on this subject, said Fe Morales Marks, of Fannie Mae, in D.C. "You can't be the best lawyer and the best parent."

What do you think? Is it time to encourage companies to put business lawyers on their boards of directors? You know, considering Enron and Sarbanes-Oxley and other unpleasant realities.

"Companies are desperate for more operating experience in new board members. Only 2 percent want lawyers as new board members." That from Joie Gregor, at Heidrick & Struggles, in New York City.

How did we get to this situation? "Boards don't want lawyers because of conflict issues and Sarbanes-Oxley. Companies are reluctant to put lawyers on boards because they think it might send the wrong signal to the world," said Denise Grant, of Russell Reynolds (an executive search firm), in D.C.

What happens if lawyers are on boards? Can they deal with it? "It's hard for lawyers to get on boards. When you leave that boardroom, nothing that you learned can be revealed to anyone." That from Laraine Rothenberg, of Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobsen, in New York City.

The program? "Do lawyers ever make good board members?"

Do you think that women jurors think differently than men jurors? And how about judges of each sex?

The panel was discussing "A view from the bench (and jury box) — a female perspective."

Maybe it's a matter of relating to the rest of the world. "Sixty percent of women judges are extroverted; 60 percent of male judges are introverted." This came from Gill Freeman, a woman circuit-court judge in Miami-Dade County, Fla.

"Women jurors don't view cases any differently," said Elizabeth Stong, the bankruptcy judge in Brooklyn, referring to her time on the bench before she worked in bankruptcy court.

There was a lot of agreement among the speakers on the juror matter. "I cannot generalize that men or women jurors are any different," said Freeman. "I agree," chimed in Susan Bucklew, a federal district judge in Tampa, Fla.