Welcome to the LCLD INSIDER, our monthly newsletter to Members and supporters of the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity. This publication is for you, and we welcome your feedback and ideas, as well as any news you might be interested in passing along. We also encourage you to share the INSIDER with your support staff, diversity directors, and public relations and/or marketing departments to keep them better informed about what LCLD is doing. Thanks again for reading, and for your membership in LCLD.
-Robert Grey, Executive Director
Michele Mayes Co-authors Book on General Counsels
Courageous Counsel, by Michele Mayes and Kara Baysinger, hit bookstores in early November, earning five-star reviews and a warm reception from the Chicago legal community. Their book, available via Amazon, renders the experiences of women general counsels in Fortune 500 companies by "weaving together up-close-and-personal interviews with more than 50 women who have...played executive management roles in their legal departments." As GC of Allstate Corporation, Mayes has in-depth knowledge of the world that she writes about in the book.
Also, congratulations to Michele for winning the 8th Annual Stevie Award for Best Executive in a service business. The Stevie Awards for Women in Business honor executives and entrepreneurs all over the the world.
LCLD Fellow Tracy High Named to Minority "40 under 40"
The National Law Journal recently named LCLD Fellow Tracy Richelle High of Sullivan & Cromwell to its prestigious Minority "40 Under 40" list. High's selection was announcedhere just after last month's issue of the LCLD INSIDER went to press. Congratulations to Tracy and the other up-and-coming attorneys named to the list, including several from LCLD Member organizations.
LCLD's Grey and Mayes at Stanford Law
On November 1, Robert Grey and Michele Mayes, chair of LCLD Partnerships & Teams committee, presented "Talent, Teams, and Tomorrow"--an in-depth look at the guiding principles and programs of LCLD--to rave reviews from the faculty and students atStanford Law School. Scroll down to see a video of their back-to-back presentationshere.
To Build LCLD: Use the Members Tool Kit!
Kudos to Derek Harris of Carlton Fields, who jotted the following pledge on his BUILD IT card at the Annual Meeting:
"I will take my BUILD packet and distribute the materials to three contacts at various corporations to encourage them to join LCLD. I will also share my experiences...and encourage those in my network to get involved."
Have you done the same? Derek's suggestion resonates with Frank Burch, who also expressed his enthusiasm for the Members Tool Kit as a recruitment tool.
Reminder: Copies of the Tool Kit (including the LCLD brochure and presentation cards) are available for download on the LCLD Members web site here. Or if you'd like to have more ink-on-paper copies of the brochure to distribute, just drop Jennifer Denton a note at jdenton@lcldnet.com.
Thanks for your help in promoting the mission and programs of LCLD!
Join the LCLD Members "Linked In" Group
One of the most powerful networking tools available, Linked In has become a vital source of communication in the modern workplace. Building on the success of our Fellows Linked In group, we've created a Members Linked In presence to enable all LCLD Members and their organizations--including diversity directors, Fellows, and PR/marketing departments--to network with each other and build a more dynamic LCLD community.
For more on the advantages of Linked In, see this recent post from the Legal Intelligencer.
To join, just click here. If you don't have a free Linked In account, it only takes a moment to create one. Join us today!
Robert Grey Hammers at the Rock of Diversity
In his just-posted blog, Open Minded, Robert outlines the business case for diversity, looking beyond "rhetoric and feel-good initiatives" to the tough, real-world calculations that are made in law firms behind closed doors. "This is what I call the hard rock at the center" of the diversity issue, Robert writes. "And if the legal marketplace doesn't demanddiversity, where's the incentive?"
You can find the full text of Robert's posting here. Please take a moment to Read it, Like it, and Share it with friends and colleagues. As always, your comments are most welcome.
Happy Holidays from LCLD!
The leaders and administrators of LCLD wish everyone in our Member organizations and their families a joyous holiday season. We're grateful for all the success we've had BUILDing LCLD programs over the past year, thanks to you--and we're excited about what's ahead in 2012!
